Kaleidoscope
by lener
Summary: Deep in the shadows of Smallville, a dangerous villain is on the loose, killing people. Can Clark Kent defeat this villain while juggling with the anxieties of his everyday life?
1. Chapter One

**Kaleidoscope**

_by Lener_

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Smallville. 

**Chapter One**

**          Chloe dialed the combination of her school locker, then with a forceful pull she yanked the door open and began to pull out the textbooks that she needed.**

        Sensing movement behind her, Chloe whirled around to find herself face to face with a medium-built, cocoa-skinned boy.

        "Whoa," Pete (short for Peter) Ross, her friend, said, "how did you know I was coming?" 

        Chloe smiled at her friend, "Paranoid, I guess. After I've been dragged into the weirdness of all things Smallville, I've become more alert, I guess." Chloe stepped away from her locker as she closed it, then headed down the corridor. Pete fell into a step beside her.

        "Doing a lot of guessing today, eh?" Pete grinned, revealing pearly white teeth.

        "A lot on my mind, I…" Chloe caught herself just in time a Pete laughed again. She stuck her tongue out at him.

        "Hey… where's Clark?" Chloe asked, secretly proud that she could say his name out loud without a waver in her voice. She'd gotten to school early so she could work on an article for The Torch, and so she had assumed that Pete would arrive together with Clark.

        "I don't know, he stopped by at Lana's locker to talk to her about something," Pete stared at Chloe with eyes that seemed to hold pity.

        Chloe's heart thumped faster. Did Pete know? Was it _that obvious? Did he suspect anything? __I don't need his pity. Chloe thought bitterly, then stopped herself. She was being paranoid- again. But still she could not help but wonder if she had seen the pity in Pete's eyes._

        "Come on, let's go or we'll be late for class," Chloe said, finally finding her voice.

        "All right. I hope Clark survives his encounter with Lana," Pete smiled. Chloe playfully swatted his arm and sighed.

        "You make her sound like Godzilla," Chloe said as they walked to class.

*

        Clark watched until Pete rounded the corner, then slowly advanced to Lana Lang's locker. Whitney was nowhere in sight, which was a good sign. 

        Feeling a little like a stalker, Clark watched as Lana pulled out the books from her locker. A sliver of sunlight caught her silky brown hair and it shone bronze in the hallway. _It's so bright, Clark thought as he gazed at the girl. __But not as bright as Chloe's, another voice in his head piped up. Clark started. Where had that thought come from?_

        Just at that moment, however, a few books slid off the tower of books that Lana had been trying to carry. Without thinking, Clark jumped up and seized a book before it hit the floor. Lana's head snapped up in surprise.

        "Clark," she gave him her dazzling smile, making him feel as if his heart had stopped beating.

        "Hey Lana. You trying to break the world record for holding the most number of books?" Clark grinned as he placed the textbook on top of her pile. _Stay calm… don't forget to breathe in and out deeply, he had to remember to tell himself as he stared down at her._

        "No, I just decided to clean out my locker," Lana tossed her hair over her shoulder and shrugged. "You never know what sort of old junk you'll find in it," she added.

        Just then, Clark caught sight of Whitney's blond hair down the hallway. It was time to avoid a stare fest with the captain of the Smallville High football team.

        "I'd better go. Bye, Lana," Clark gave her one last grin and dashed away towards his first class of the day.

        The bell rang just as Clark burst through the doors. He had just enough time to nod at Pete and take his seat next to Chloe before their English teacher stepped in.

        'Where were you?' Chloe mouthed to him as they flipped open their texts. 'Lana,' Clark mouthed back, and Chloe gave him a coy smile.

*

The last bell rang, and Chloe stuffed her books into her bag before heading out of the classroom and straight to the Young Authors' Club meeting that was held every Thursday.

Chloe's first love had always been writing and journalism. Since she was about 6 or 7 years old, she had been going around and checking out the "scoop" on her family members and relatives. They had all nicknamed her "little reporter" since she was small. That was probably why she had signed up (almost immediately) for Journalism club, Young Authors' Club and Computer club. 

Chloe was the fastest typist in Computer club, excluding Clark, of course. Chloe had been amazed at his typing skills when he handed in a report just 30 seconds after she had asked him to copy it out. After that he'd gone to watch the football game and Lana, of course.

Well, love made you do crazy things.

Chloe understood _that._

Chloe was not sure if Clark "loved" Lana, but from her point of view, it seemed like a pretty bad infatuation. Deep down inside Chloe had wondered if she ever stood a chance next to pretty and famous Lana Lang the cheerleader. All the beautiful, popular and sweet girls always seemed to be the lucky ones in Smallville High. Chloe had always wished that perhaps one day Clark would learn to see people for who they really were, and like them for that one sole reason. 

But perhaps for now, these feelings for her best friend would have to go.

She reached the room a minute later and pushed the door open, then lost herself in the ongoing meeting.

*

Clark reached for the old books in his locker and began to pile them up in his hands. It _was amazing what things he found in the locker, almost smothered in a layer of dust. _

He had stayed back after the school bell rang, eaten a quick lunch and now was taking to the task of cleaning out his locker, just like what Lana had been doing in the morning.

He stuck his hand inside the dark compartment and felt around. The edge of a paper met his fingertips, and Clark pulled out a photograph of him, Chloe and Pete. Chloe was standing in the middle, with Pete on her right and Clark on her left.

Clark smiled. He'd never realize how pretty Chloe looked. She was beautiful in her own way. Somehow, he had always thought of her as a tomboy, but only recently Chloe herself had snappily reminded both Clark and Pete that she was not a boy.

Just then, the door to his left burst open, and a stream of students filed out into the hallway, chattering away. Startled by the sudden outburst, Clark felt some books slid from his grasp. Someone dashed up to him to help, and their fingers met as the person caught the books before they hit the floor. The person quickly withdrew her fingers.

"Clark!" Chloe's voice sounded.

Clark looked up and found himself staring into Chloe's mint green eyes.

"You trying to break the world record for holding the most number of books?" Chloe grinned.

Struck by the sudden similarity between the both of them, Clark gazed at Chloe.

_He's doing that intense gaze routine, but I'm not letting that get to me. Chloe bit her lip and sucked in a deep breath, trying to block out the mental image of Clark's mesmerizing green eyes._

"Hello? Earth to Clark, what's the matter?" Chloe tried, waving her hand in front of Clark's face. It seemed that after she'd made the comment he stalled. Had she said something wrong? Darn it… she always seemed to make the wrong impression in front of him.

Finally Clark seemed to snap out of his daze. He focused in Chloe and said, "Oh, hey, Chloe. I was just cleaning out my locker. Anyway, you said exactly the same thing as I said to Lana while I was talking to her this morning."

Chloe's heart sank and she watched Clark close the door to his locker. Right… Lana. That was all Clark had been talking about for the past few weeks. Of course, she was his best friend and she really did not mind helping him with his problems. But Lana was a different situation.

"Are you leaving now?" Clark asked, and Chloe nodded. 

"So, what happened between you and Lana this morning?" Chloe asked as both of them walked down the almost empty hallway. Chloe tried very hard to listen to what Clark was saying about Lana, but somehow being so close to him and having him pour out all his feelings to her was unnerving. It felt so… nice. 

The only bad thing was that he was talking about his feelings for Lana.

*

        The man waited in the shadows… 

        He waited until one by one the lights on the street of the quiet part of Smallville went off. Silence lingered about the air that night. The brilliant ivory orb hung high in the sky, but it barely illuminated the lane of houses.

        Now was the perfect time to strike.

        But he had to choose his victim carefully… 

Not all the citizens of this city would know who he was looking for… 

Clark Kent… 

**Author's Note: Okay so this is my first try at writing a fic for the Smallville category. I just LOVE the show and I really think that Clark should be with Chloe, but right now I'm trying to take things slow and easy with their relationship. I'm going to develop on the plot about the villain, so tell me what you think in a review!   **


	2. Chapter Two

**Kaleidoscope**

_by Lener_

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Smallville. 

**Chapter Two**

**          He watched the boy make his way slowly down the street. **

        He had been following the boy since he stepped out from the glass doors of Smallville High and into the polluted streets of the city. The boy was about 15 or 16 years of age, with a curly mop of auburn hair, a freckly face and twinkling blue eyes.

        He had seen the adoring stares from some of the girls standing by the doors and on the steps when the boy came down with a group of friends, all wearing the same red, black and yellow jacket over shirts and pants.

        No doubt the boy would know who he was after…

        Jerry waved goodbye to the last of his friends including Whitney Fordman and his girlfriend Lana Lang. _Seriously, that girl is drop-dead gorgeous and she doesn't even want to admit it. Jerry thought to himself as he crossed a junction and made his way to the block of apartments just outside the city centre. Jerry knew that Lana was his friend's (and teammate's) girlfriend but so what- a guy could dream, right?_

        Anyway there was no point hankering after Lana Lang ever since he'd made that spectacular pass and a touchdown in the latest football game, girls he did not even know had been coming up to him and asking for his number.

        Perhaps life was not so bad after all.

        The sun had already begun to set, leaving the clouds in a whirl of lazy swirls of lavender and rose. By now the streets of Smallville were almost empty, as its inhabitants settled down for evening dinner.

        The man knew it was time to step out of the shadows.

        It was time for the kill. 

        Jerry glanced at his watch.

        7:23 PM, the lighted clock face read.

        The shadows were starting to come out now, and he quickened his pace a little. 

        Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck prickled, and Jerry felt the strangest sensation- as though someone… or something was watching him. Watching his every move. 

        "Who's there?" Jerry called out sharply. He craned his neck to look behind him, but there was no sign of anyone. Maybe it was just his imagination. Or maybe some girls were stalking him! That would be the first time that ever happened.

        _Swish… swish…_

_        Okay now __that was not from his imagination. Jerry stopped, frowning. He was certain he had heard the swishing sound. Who could have made it?_

        And then something lurched out of the shadows, slamming him into the brick wall of a nearby building. The breath was knocked out of Jerry as he felt as though his back was broken.

        Clammy cold hands were gripping his neck, threatening to strangle him then and there. Jerry struggled for breath, gasping and wheezing. He tried to kick out with his legs, but the strength seemed to be departing from his limbs.

        "Where is the boy…" a voice rasped out. 

        "I… I don't… know what… you're talk… talking about…" Jerry coughed in between his sentences. His heart was suddenly seized in fear's icy grip.

        "The boy… Clark… Kent…" the voice seemed to be coming from the dark space in front of him. Something invisible was standing there choking him.

        "Clark?" Jerry coughed, and struggled. "Kent Farm… H… Hickory Lane... please… let me… go… now…"

        He was enjoying this now. The look of pure terror and fear from the boy, the sheer sense of that pulsating from his very being. He fed on that, drinking in the boy's fears.

        "Let you go? I don't think I can do that…" 

        He studied the quavering face, eyes roving down to the wide expanse of tanned neck. Then with one swoop he was upon the boy, piercing through the thin skin and drinking his very life essence.

        Jerry's inert body rested for a while without any help against the wall, then slowly it slumped down to the floor, leaving a trail of slick blood. 

        The wide, shocked eyes of the 15-year-old football player stared unseeingly out at the horizon as the night swept over Smallville. 

*

        _Clark stood in his loft behind the telescope, gazing at Nell Potter's front porch, where Lana Lang was settled on the rattan chair with a book of poetry in her hand. Staring into the telescope lenses, __Clark__ smiled to himself as he watched Lana._

_        The loud thump of footsteps alerted him that someone was coming. _

_        Surreptitiously moving the telescope away from its focus, __Clark__ turned around to find Chloe standing behind him._

_        "Chloe… what are you doing here?" he asked._

_        "I know what you're doing, __Clark__," all she did was glare._

_        "What… you don't know what you're talking about," __Clark__ could feel himself stiffen. He stepped in front of his telescope, as if protecting it from Chloe's penetrating gaze. He knew she had her Reporter Gaze on._

_        "She's totally wrong for you, Clark," Chloe insisted._

_        "What?!" __Clark__ spat._

_        Chloe took a step closer to Clark, looking into his eyes. He felt a jolt as he stared into her eyes- eyes that were almost like his, except darker.  _

_        "You and Lana Lang will never be together, because she's not right for you," Chloe said. _

_        Shocked and dazed for a few seconds, __Clark__ finally found his voice and said angrily, "You have no right to tell me who's right for me and who's not." He took a step towards her, seething in fury. __Clark__ had never felt this angry in his life. Chloe's eyes flashed darkly, but she hardly seemed frightened- it was as though she seemed prepared for whatever he was going to do._

_        "I'm only doing what's best for you…" she said._

_        "No! You don't know me at all! Go away! Leave me alone!" Without thinking, __Clark__ grabbed Chloe by the shoulders and hurled her out of the wall. She crashed through the wood and fell down… down…_

_        Then with a flash __Clark__ was kneeling down in a graveyard, with the rain coming down in torrents. The raindrops were wetting his shirt and pants and he was drenched, but his gaze was fixed on the 5 tombstones surrounding him, offering no way out._

_        He had been here before… a feeling of dread seemed to pass over him. __Clark__ didn't want to look at the words carved on the cold faces of the tombstones, but somehow he could not tear his eyes away from them._

_        In memory of Jonathan Kent. Beloved Husband and Father._

_        In memory of Martha Kent. Beloved Wife and Mother._

_        Pete Ross._

_        And then…_

_        Chloe Sullivan._

_        Lana Lang._

_        "NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" _

Clark bolted up from bed, sweat covering his entire body. The soft shirt he slept in clung to his chest, and it was drenched in his sweat. Strange, in the dim morning light it seemed as though the rain from his nightmare had been real, and that his shirt was actually drenched by the rain and not his sweat.

It was one of those nights when dreams muddled up his sleep, riddling him with confusion and mixed feelings. 

Breathing heavily, he lay in bed for a while, letting the noises of his everyday farm life sink comfortingly in. Down below he could hear his mother pottering around the kitchen, baking bread or something that smelt really sweet from where he was. Somewhere in the farm the distant whirring of the clipper told Clark that his father was already up and working. 

Feeling much better, Clark took a peek at his alarm clock… and immediately felt worst.

He was late for school.

Clark slung his red backpack over his shoulders and bounded down the stairs two at a time. His mother was bent over the stove, removing a pan from it.

Hoping that his mother would not see him, Clark opened the fridge, picked up the huge glass bottle of milk and gulped down its contents. Just at that moment Martha turned around, and Clark gave her his big-eyed gaze, turning on the Kent Charm to full blast.

"Okay, I'll close an eye just this once, Clark. Besides, you're running late as it is already," Mrs. Kent grinned. 

Clark set down the bottle of milk, engulfed his mom in a bear hug, then rushed out of the door.

"Tell Dad I said hi!" he called after him, before super-speeding off to school.

"Clark…" the first person to rush up to him was Chloe. Clark glanced down at her and smiled, relieved that it was all a dream. He would never, ever throw his best friend off the Fortress of Solitude.

"Chloe… hey, what's going on?" Clark frowned when he saw her ashen face. Something was definitely not working out for Chloe, because he rarely saw her lose her composure.

"It's Jerry, Clark. Jerry Fields. Clark… he… he's dead," Chloe began to cry. Her hands flew up to her face to hide the tears, but Clark could see the salty drops leaking through her slim fingers. Clark had never seen Chloe this devastated before. 

He did the only thing he could think of. He pulled Chloe against him and gently pressed her head on his shoulder. "It's okay, Chloe… everything's going to be okay…" he said.

"N… no, C… Clark. He's... he's dead..." Chloe's muffled sobs pierced his heart.

**Author's Note: Okay this Jerry Fields guy is an original character. He's in the football team, if you haven't already figured that out. Why Chloe's do devastated about his death will be revealed in the next chapter! Hope you liked this chapter. Special thanks to:**

**Megan**

**Stepsters**

**deanine**

**Starburst**

**Suz**

**derrick**

**Thanks for reviewing! **

**          **


	3. Chapter Three

**Kaleidoscope**

_by Lener_

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Smallville. 

**Chapter Three**

**          Clark looked down at the blond head buried deep in his blue sweater. He marveled at how well Chloe fit in his arms, like she was meant to be in this embrace forever. Wait… where had that thought come from? Shaking his head, Clark watched as Chloe pulled away from him, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.**

        A little of her eyeliner had smudged near the corner of her eye, and Clark used his thumb to wipe it away.

        "What happened? How did… Jerry die?" Clark asked as he led Chloe over to the stone ledge. Both of them sat just as Pete arrived.

        "What are you two doing out here? School's going to start in like, a minute!" Pete panted, but when he saw Chloe's tear stained face, he stopped and stared. "What happened?" he asked.

        "Jerry Fields. He's dead," Clark said grimly.

        "Dead? Wha…" Pete's eyes widened in shock. Then he turned to Chloe and shook his head vigorously. "You… you didn't… do it, did you?" 

        "No, Pete. I didn't kill him!" Chloe said exasperated, but smiling a little. Clark smiled too. He admired Pete, the way that boy could always make Chloe smile and laugh. He wanted to have that power too, the power to make his best friend happy. 

        But Chloe's smile faded just as it had come, as though she felt guilty smiling when Jerry was dead.

        "It's just… he… I…" 

        The school bell interrupted her, and Clark and Pete hoisted to her to her feet.

        "Come on, we'll meet up during lunch and you'll tell us everything, okay?" Clark said, and Chloe nodded demurely.

        "Now dry your eyes. We can't have everyone seeing our intrepid little reporter crying her heart out," Pete added gently.

        The lunch bell at Smallville High rang, and this time when students filed out of the classrooms, the noise level was over maximum. Announcements had been made by both teachers and the principal that Jerry Fields had passed on. The gruesome details had been kept away from most, but the essential details had been absorbed by the student population, and everyone (especially the football team and the journalism club members) was distraught.

        And now Chloe and Pete were settled at the lunch table. Chloe had decided not to eat, so Pete and Clark joined her in abstaining from food.

        Out of the corner of his eye Clark spotted Lana and Whitney walking through the doors of the cafeteria. Lana was holding on to Whitney so protectively that they seemed inseparable. Obviously she was probably trying to console him. For a moment Clark wondered if he should give up trying to break them apart. They were obviously Smallville High's dream couple, and they were meant to be together. 

Perhaps it was time Clark set his sights on another girl…

        Lana led Whitney over to an empty table, and Clark tore his eyes away from them and focused on Chloe, trying to wipe off the look of guilt on his face. 

        Fortunately for him Chloe had not seen that. She had her hands folded on the table and was looking down, breathing steadily. Clark felt terrible. His friend was terribly grieved by the loss of her schoolmate and all he as a best friend could do was ogle at Lana Lang.

        Pushing the beautiful brunette out of his mind, Clark looked at the forlorn blonde. 

        "Chloe… what exactly happened?" he decided to break the silence by asking.   

*****

**          Chloe swallowed and took in a deep breath. The shock her neighbour's death had been difficult to bear, but now she felt a lot calmer. **

        "Well, you both know that Jerry is… I mean was… my neighbour. And well, I've known him for so long and it's just… too sudden…" she trailed off, and looked down miserably at the table.

        "I know how it feels when you lose someone who's close to you," Clark said softly. 

        "And… just before he left the school that day I… I quarreled with him. Oh, it was stupid. I was… chasing him for… for an article for The Torch and… he told me to lay off. I said just because he had made such a… such a perfect touchdown and gotten all famous didn't… didn't mean he could write people off like that. Then after that he left the school and now he's dead," Chloe put her head in her hands.

        "Whoa… that _was harsh," Pete said._

        "I know… I feel really bad," Chloe sighed.

        "It wasn't your fault, Chloe," Clark told her.

        "How did he die, anyway? And how did you know before the whole school did?" Pete asked. 

        Chloe gave an involuntary shudder. "I saw the body," she said, raking a hand nervously through her messy blond hair. 

        "What?" Clark gasped.

        Pete looked like he was about to puke. "Okay _now I know why you aren't having any lunch," he said, and did not mean it as a joke. _

        "Well, it's a natural reaction for anyone after they've seen a corpse, Chloe. It's all right to be unnerved," Clark assured his friend.

        "Oh no, Clark. It was _definitely Wall of Weird material," Chloe leaned in closer to both boys, her voice dropping to a whisper. _

        "Okay why don't you tell us exactly what happened, Chloe? Like for instance how you knew it was Jerry Fields… surely the police or the paramedics must have covered the body or something…" Pete trailed off.

        "Okay, I was walking along the street to school and I saw lots of policemen and paramedics, and an ambulance parked nearby. Of course a few inquisitive Smallville citizens had gathered round so I decided to take a look. And I… I overheard one of the policemen. He was talking to another cop and the name 'Jerry Fields' cropped up. I figured out that it was Jerry lying there…" Chloe shook her head sadly.

        "Well, what was so Wall of the Weird about that?" Clark pointed out, and Pete nodded in agreement. 

        "Well, they were in the process of lifting the dead body up onto the stretcher and suddenly Jerry's hand fell out from the black cloth and… oh my god… it was horrible. His skin was definitely glowing neon green, and it looked so… drained… of blood and… everything. It was all skin and bones," Chloe said, shifting about her seat uncomfortably.

        "Oh man…" Pete licked his lips.

        "Did you hear anything else?" Clark probed.

        Chloe played with the paper serviette, shredding it into tiny little pieces that littered the cafeteria table they were sitting at. She felt very uneasy and nervous. Recalling the image she'd seen earlier in the morning was… almost too much for her. Almost. 

        "I stayed a little longer to hear what the police had to say, and I heard… oh I wish I had heard wrongly. He said there were what seemed to be bite marks on Jerry's neck, and that he had been really, really white when the police came- sort of like someone had sucked the blood out of him…" Chloe gulped.

        "What do you mean… like, a vampire or something?" Pete asked.

        "Yea…" Chloe nodded.

        "Okay so now we have some vampire villain that's on the loose in Smallville? This is crazy! What if he attacks citizens every night? The citizens of Smallville could be in great danger," Clark frowned.

        "I think we're already in great danger," Chloe muttered as she spied Lana Lang making her way towards their table, alone. Chloe's sharp eyes spotted Whitney Fordman and some other jocks from the football team walking out of the cafeteria.

        "Clark. Pete. Chloe," Lana gave each of them small nods. Her eyes were a little glassy, but there was no evidence that she had been crying. Lana's eyes rested on Chloe a little longer, and Chloe felt herself not willing to meet the brunette's gaze. Pete seemed to realize the tension of the situation, because he cleared his throat and gazed at Chloe. Clark was fighting to stop staring at Lana and focus on his best friend instead.

        "Chloe, I know you were pretty close to Jerry, he being your neighbour and all that. And you two were in journalism club. But I think you're handling the news really, really well. And I just want you to know that we're grieving as much as you are. I know how it feels to lose someone you love. I know how you're feeling now," Lana gave Chloe such a dazzling, encouraging smile that she almost laughed out loud.

        "I don't think you know how I feel, Lana," she said evenly, standing up abruptly. The metal legs of the cafeteria chair scrapped loudly against the linoleum floor, causing some Smallville High students to look their way. Chloe expected them to turn back to whatever they were doing, but they did not. Then she realized (with a bitter, mental laugh) that she was talking to none other than Lana Lang, the girl who turned heads everywhere she went. 

        "You don't know how I feel at all," Chloe continued, narrowing her eyes slightly. She ignored the audience all around them. She had had enough of Lana trying to empathize with everyone. Didn't the girl know that she couldn't always be perfect?

        "Oh Chloe I do. I mean, I lost my…" Lana tried to launch into an explanation, but Chloe cut her off.

        "Yea, I know you lost your parents, everyone knows you lost your parents in the meteor shower. The question is, I want to know when you'll stop using your parents and what happened to them as an excuse to get pity from others. You don't know what I'm going through, and it's best you stay out of my life," Chloe stayed long enough to feel satisfied at the look of pure horror on Lana's face, then stalked out of the cafeteria angrily.

        She could hear the surprised murmurs of the students all around her and she made her way (without tripping, thankfully) towards the wide doors of the Smallville High cafeteria. Her cheeks were burning with rage, but Chloe knew her outbursts were only temporary. She also knew that she would regret them later, but for now she was as pissed as she could get. 

        Pushing through the doors, Chloe heard Pete call her name, but something drove her forward and out of the cafeteria.

        Part of her wished that Clark would come running out, grab her by the arm and tell her not to worry about Lana, not to take everything to heart, and that Lana was in the wrong.

        But of course, no Clark came.

        And Lana was never in the wrong. 

**Author's Note: All right. There might have been a bit of drama in this part of the story between Chloe and Lana, and a little bit of that mysterious villain is revealed too. Tell me what you think about this chapter in a review, please! Thanks!! Special thanks to:**

**Stepsters**

**JadeSelena**

**Tess**

**Thanks for reviewing!**


	4. Chapter Four

**Kaleidoscope**

_by Lener_

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Smallville. 

**Chapter Four**

**          The rest of the school day whizzed past in a blur. **

        Clark felt torn between wanting to comfort Lana and wanting to comfort Chloe. In the end, he chose a neutral stand, but he could not help flinching whenever people walked past Chloe and avoided her like the plague. She was handling it really well though, Clark had to hand it to her. Chloe's head was still up in the air, her back straight and her eyes clear. As for Lana, guys and girls alike were swarming to her, comforting her, siding with her and saying that she had only been trying to help Chloe, and that Chloe had been ungrateful.

        Clark knew that it was pretty unfair. Although Chloe had not been entirely right, she was entitled to her own feelings. Part of him found that what Chloe had said was quite true. Lana had always used her 'dead parents' story to start a conversation or turn the attention towards her. 

        _Clark__ stop it… since when do you criticize the girl of your dreams? He reprimanded himself, then stopped. He was criticizing her for her own good, sometimes one had to change their ways…_

        A rude voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and Clark was glad for the distraction. But when he turned around, all the gladness seeped from him in a second. 

        Whitney had cornered Chloe, trapping her in between the wall and himself. She was looking up at him- no, glaring up at him. 

        "Don't you ever dare insult Lana in front of the whole school ever again…" Whitney was saying as he glared down at Chloe. His back was facing Clark, but Clark knew that he was probably staring daggers at Chloe. 

        "You weren't even there at the cafeteria. How did you know what happened exactly? I'll bet you listened to your girlfriend's thwarted version of the whole…" Chloe tried to defend herself, but Whitney interrupted her. 

        "Do you want me to give you a preview of what I'm going to do to you the next time you insult Lana?" Whitney raised a fist, ready to strike. Without wasting any time, Clark rushed forward to help his best friend.

*

        Chloe kept her eyes on Whitney's raised fist and stuck out her chin defiantly. She dared him to strike her, but just as he brought his arm forward, someone grabbed it tightly, and Chloe caught a glimpse of Clark's blue sweater behind Whitney.

        She did not know whether to feel glad or angry that he had intervened.

        "Don't you dare hit her, Whitney," Clark said in a hard voice. Whitney whirled around, furious, and Chloe seized the chance to slip away. She dashed down the crowded hallway, without turning back to see both boys. 

*

        Clark held on to Whitney's hand as the football quarterback turned around, hatred burning in his eyes. He yanked his hand out of Clark's grasp and said quietly, "I have no business with you, Clark. Otherwise you wouldn't be so lucky this time."

        And with that, the blonde boy walked away, leaving Clark alone. 

        He looked back to where Chloe had been standing, but she was gone. His eyes suddenly flicked to the spot which she had been standing on, and noticed a black leather notebook with a shiny golden buckle. On its face was written in purple glitter 'Chloe', and Clark knew at once that it was her organizer. He picked it up and smiled.

        Now he would have a reason for going after his best friend.

*

        Chloe slammed her car door close, then marched up the driveway to her house. Her father was still at work, so she would be alone at home for the next few hours or so. She fished for her keys from her bag and pulled them out, then proceeded to open the door to her house.

        It was peaceful and quiet inside, so she dumped her bag on the kitchen floor and grabbed a bagel from the pantry to munch on while she did her homework. When Chloe had settled herself down at the kitchen table, she unzipped her bag to take out her organizer, only to find it was not in her bag.

        "Oh no…" Chloe muttered as she felt all around and into the dark spaces. "I must have left it in school…" she got up from the table and grabbed her car keys.

        It was time to make a quick trip back to Smallville High. Chloe just hoped that no one had picked her organizer up and flipped through it. She shuddered, imagining what secrets they could unfold. Lucky for her all her deepest darkest secrets were kept in her laptop in a coded Word document which no one could access. But still… a secret glimpse into the life of Chloe Sullivan would _not be good for her reputation. __Like I even have one now, Chloe thought as she flung open the door, bumping straight into something very solid._

        "ARGH!!!" Chloe gave a loud yell, and almost toppled over. She found her footing at the last minute, grabbing the arm of a couch on her right for support. 

Standing in the doorway was Clark Kent. 

"Whoa," he said, fingering his ear lobes and trying to smile at the same time. 

She could not look Clark in the face, so she settled for a distant tree behind his left shoulder. _He is not hot. He is not hot. I do not think he is cute. __Clark__Kent__ is not handsome. Oh my god he's so terrific. Oops... __Clark__ is not hot. Chloe's head was spinning.  _

_What the heck am I thinking?** She thought.**_

"Huh?" Clark said.

Oh man, had she just said the last part out loud?

"What are you doing here, Clark?" Chloe asked, not bothering to ask him to come in. 

"Well, it's just… you dropped your organizer," Clark explained, pulling out the familiar looking leather book from his back. Chloe could glimpse her name in purple glitter on the sleek cover. Without thinking, she snatched the book out of Clark's hands and clutched it protectively towards herself. 

"Where'd you get it?" she asked, trying to keep the suspicion out of her voice. Had Clark went through her organizer? It would not be worst than reading her journal, but still… Chloe wished somebody would shoot her then and there.

"You dropped it when you um… took off in school," Clark said. Chloe smiled a small smile. She knew that Clark was trying not to bring up the past. "I didn't look at anything so don't worry," Clark added.

"Okay thanks," Chloe reached down to close the door, but Clark stopped her.

"I was wondering if… I could, you know, come in…?" Clark asked.

"Oh. Right," Chloe felt flustered. She'd forgotten that she did not have to head back to Smallville High. Stepping away from the door, she motioned for Clark to come in, then closed the door after him. He walked to the kitchen table and settled down on a chair across from where she had been sitting. Chloe stuffed her organizer back into her bag, then plopped down onto the chair.

"So… bagel?" Chloe graciously offered the bag of bagels to Clark, who took one, but did not bite into it straightaway. "Thanks," he said. 

"If you came here to psycho me into apologizing to Lana, I'm not going to do it. I might have regretted it a little, but I won't apologize because I told her the truth. Well, most of it," Chloe launched ahead defensively.

*

Clark grinned. He should have known that his best friend was never one to mince words, or to beat around the bush. That was what he liked about her, though. She was frank and direct. But sometimes she could be too direct. "I didn't come to psycho you, Chlo. In fact, I kinda agree with what you said. Not all but, yes, some of it was true," Clark found himself saying.

Chloe stared at him as if he'd grown another head. Clark wondered if she would look at him like that if he told her that he had come from another planet. 

"Are you having a fever, Clark?" Chloe leaned across the table and placed a hand on his forehead. Clark tried to ignore the tingles that her smooth skin made on contact with his. What was his problem? He was acting as though Chloe was… Lana. 

"Clark?" Chloe snapped him back to reality. He must have been stalling.

"Yea?" Clark replied.

"What's so great about Lana?" Chloe asked, as though reading his thoughts. Clark studied her face. There was no sign of anything that might give away how she was feeling right now. In fact, she just seemed curious. Clark took the question as one that best friends shared among themselves. He opened his mouth to answer, but his mind just went blank. What _was so great about Lana?_

"Well… err… she… um…" Clark stammered. 

The phone rang, and Clark breathed a sigh of relief when Chloe got up to answer it. She cradled the receiver between her right shoulder and ear, then spoke into the mouthpiece, "Chloe Sullivan speaking."

*

"Chloe Sullivan speaking," Chloe said into the phone. 

"Oh… Chloe? It's… Mrs. Kent… Is Clark at your place?" there came a sniffling voice. Chloe's heart thumped as she glanced over at the unsuspecting Clark. Could something horrible have happened?

"Yes, he's here," she said, and Clark's head snapped up to meet her eyes. "Do you want to speak to him?" Chloe added quickly. There came a muffled sound from the other line, and Chloe took it as a yes. She thrust the phone to Clark, who had walked over from the table.

"Hello? Mom is that you?" Clark asked.

There was silence as he listened.

Then, "Oh god." 

Chloe lunged forward as the received fell from Clark's hands. She could hear a dial tone on the other end. 

"Clark what happened?" she asked, worried.

"Dad…" Clark whispered, "he… he's in the hospital."

**Author's Note: Oh dear. Now what happened to Mr. Jonathan Kent????? Well, the answer will be revealed in the next chapter! As for this chapter, what do you think of it? Did it suck or not? Do review and tell me! I would appreciate it a lot.  Special thanks to:**

**… (I know Lana isn't that bad! But I hate her all the same.. lol)**

**Suz**

**Sylphide (Thanks for the compliments!)**

**Starburst (If you review, you'll see your name! lol)**

**JennerBee (I will bash Lana… when I get the chance! lol) **

**brenkding **

**Thanks for reviewing!! **


	5. Chapter Five

**Kaleidoscope**

_by Lener_

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Smallville. 

**Chapter Five**

"What? Why?" Chloe was stunned.

"An… accident at… the farm…" Clark could hardly get the words out.

"I'll drive you there," Chloe offered, and grabbed her car keys. She tore a piece of paper from her notebook which was lying on the table, then picked up a pen and scribbled a quick note to her father. She left it on the table in plain sight so he would see it.

 "Come on, let's go!" she added, then grabbed Clark by the wrist and pulled him out of the kitchen, into the living room. He somehow managed to move his legs, and quickly got into the car with Chloe.

Clark considered telling Chloe that he'd walk to the hospital (by super-speed, of course), but then she would probably think that he was crazy and did not care about his father. After all, who would walk rather than drive and get there faster?

By then Chloe was already in the driver's seat, revving up the engine. Clark realized he was still standing dumbly on the walkway.

"Clark! Get in here!" Chloe shouted, and Clark rushed towards the red and white 1961 Ford Falcon that Chloe drove. He slipped quickly into the front seat, then suddenly they were speeding away from Chloe's house as fast as the car could go.

Chloe made no attempt at conversation, and Clark was grateful for her quiet understanding. The silence in the car was not awkward, and Chloe's presence was comforting.

Leaning against the head rest, Clark suddenly had a flashback of the dream… the five tombstones in the graveyard… and the first he was seen was his father's. Was the dream coming true slowly? Clark shook his head to clear the thoughts and breathed in deeply and slowly. His father was not going to die. He would make sure of that. 

*

"How is he?" 

Chloe watched as Clark rushed forward to his mother and engulfed her in a big hug. Chloe had always known that Martha Kent was a tough, strong and intelligent woman. Her now tear-stained face was obvious that what happened to Mr. Kent had thoroughly shocked her.

"The doctor says I was in time, and that he'll be able to treat your father. I think he needs a blood transfusion," Mrs. Kent said. Clark clung to her desperately, as if afraid to let her go. "You need to sit down, Mrs. Kent," Chloe said, and walked over to Mrs. Kent. She slowly led her to one of the plastic chairs that lined the hospital's pristine corridor, and Clark's mother sank down in the chair. Clark seemed grateful for the gesture, because he gave Chloe a smile, than sat down beside his mother.

"What happened, exactly? Can you remember anything?" Chloe asked. From what she knew, Jonathan Kent was a careful and responsible man. It was not like him to get into nasty accidents around the farm. He was a firm believer in safety precautions around the heavy machinery that they used on the farm. 

"He was in Clark's room… and he heard a noise and went up to… to investigate. I was in the kitchen… and there was a loud noise in Clark's bedroom. Something black came rushing past me… and Jonathan came down. He followed it to the barn… and I don't know what happened after that. I went into the barn and saw a metal rod with bloodstains on it… and I knew that… he had been knocked out by it. And… and… there was…" at this point Martha shook her head in disbelief, like she could never imagine it at all in her wildest dreams.

"What was it, mom?" Clark asked, voicing Chloe's question.

"The black… thing. And oh… it bent over him and began to… I couldn't see much but there was a green glow and your father was beginning to… to turn white. I screamed, of course… and the creature saw me and it fled. Then I brought… your father to the hospital," she finished the story, leaning back against the wall looking tired.

Clark caught Chloe's eye and they both exchanged a knowing look.

"Mrs. Kent, perhaps you'd better stay at my place for the night. Since your husband will be all right, you really should get a good sleep because two sick parents isn't going to be good for Clark," Chloe quickly said on a brainwave. Clark nodded encouragingly, taking his mother's hand and squeezing it in a reassuring way. Mrs. Kent gave a huge sigh and nodded. 

"Great, I'll go call my father and tell him," Chloe walked off without another word. 

As she rounded a corner, she bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't see… Pete?" Chloe stared up into the concerned face of Pete Ross.

"Chloe! How's Clark's dad?" he asked.

"He's going to be fine. What are you doing here?" Chloe asked, stunned.

"I went over to your house just as you were leaving, so I kinda followed you to the hospital," Pete said, colouring a little. 

"All for the greater good. Clark's mom is going to stay for the night at my house, while we have got some investigating to do. The weirdness strikes again," Chloe said mysteriously. Pete raised his eyebrows.

"They're back there, go say hi," Chloe gave her friend a shove, then went to the payphone to call her father. She pushed the coins into the slot, dialed her phone number and after a few rings, her father picked up the phone.

"Dad! You're home early!" she said.

"Yea, short day at work today," he answered, sounding tired.

Chloe quickly launched into her story of what happened, and her father agreed to her suggestion immediately.  

*

"Mom, are you feeling okay?" Clark looked at his matter as she sat on the chair, silent. 

"Yes, Clark," she answered, but Clark could tell she was not. Quick footsteps sounded along the corridor and Clark, barely looking up, said, "Chloe, I think…"

"Whoa… since when did I become a girl?" a strong voce- a strong _male voice answered, making Clark jerk his head up. His other best friend Pete met his gaze, startling him considerably. What was Pete doing here?_

"Pete! Not that I don't appreciate you coming, but what are you doing here?" Clark asked, standing up.

"I went over to Chloe's place and I followed Chloe's car just as she left the house," Pete explained, "how's your father?" 

"He should be fine," Clark said, though he still felt the faint prickle of worry deep in his heart. It would be his entire fault if his father died. Clark could have saved him from the… thing. The dream of the tombstones in the graveyard came flashing back to Clark, and he tried to shake it out of his mind. 

Just then, Chloe came back, holding a Styrofoam cup of hot coffee, which she promptly gave to Clark's mother and told her to drink slowly.

"I'll drive you to my house after you finish it. I informed my father and he has made the necessary arrangements," Chloe placed a hand on Martha's shoulder, and it seemed to radiate comfort because his mother gave Chloe a smile.

Clark felt grateful that Chloe was around. He'd always though of it as a wonder that she knew exactly what to do and say in moments when Clark felt inexperienced. He also noted that Chloe did not seem to be surprised by Pete's sudden appearance, which meant that they had probably met when Pete was coming in.

The next minute Clark's mother was done, and they all got up. Clark did one last check with the doctor to make sure that his father was in a stable condition, then they left the hospital and went to Chloe's car.

Chloe slid into the driver's seat, and told Pete to sit in the front seat so that Clark could look after his mother at the back. All of them did so, and very soon Chloe was zipping through the dark streets of Smallville, the cool wind caressing their cheeks and skin through the open windows.

*

"Dad?" Chloe called as she pushed open the door. Behind her stood Pete, and behind him Clark was holding onto his mother for dear life, as if afraid to lose her. In spite of the situation, Chloe had to smile. Clark loved his parents dearly, and that sort of brought out a gentle side in him.

Gabe Sullivan emerged from the living room and came to open the door. Chloe shook off the warm fuzzy feeling that grew inside of her whenever she thought of Clark, then stepped aside to let the others into her house first.

Chloe watched as her father came out from the kitchen, balancing a tray with four steaming mugs of hot chocolate on it. It was time to put her plan into action. 

"Dad, I'm going to run that errand you asked me to," Chloe said as she got up from the couch she had been sitting on. Clark and Pete both stood up with her.

"What errand?" her father asked.

"You know…" Chloe gave him a death glare.

"Ah…" he said.

"This late in the night?" Mrs. Kent put in, sipping her hot chocolate mildly.

"Erm, we'll accompany her," Clark said, and Pete nodded.

"If it gets too late they're welcome to sleep over at my place. Tomorrow's a Saturday anyway," Pete added. 

"All right then," Mrs. Kent relaxed considerably, and Chloe's father gave them a wink. 

"Just take care, you three!" he said.

And so, with pasted, innocent smiles, Chloe, Clark and Pete headed out of the Sullivan home and straight for the Kent Farm Estate. 

**Author's Note: Chloe, Clark and Pete are going to do a little investigation of their own to see what they can kind about this mysterious blood-sucking villain… dude. What do you think of this chapter? Please review!!! Look below, coz I've also decided to reply to my reviewers! The thing is, I hope they aren't what I label "one-time reviewers" who review only once and never read the story again *cries*. LOL. J/k… **

**Thanks to…**

**smallgirl- Hey! Thanks for reviewing Kaleidoscope! I'm glad you enjoy it except for the Whitney part. Hmm… from my point of view he's just a very mean person, but I understand your view so the next time, should I write about Whitney, I could try to put him in a nicer position. I hope you'll like that!**

**Calty- Hey! Thanks for reviewing my story! Hahaha! I don't like Lana at all either, although I thought she was nice from the start. Then when I became a Chloe/Clark fan I totally hated Lana coz she was TOO nice. Well, I hope you keep reading!**

**Suz- Hey! Thanks for liking/reviewing my fic! Lol… I'm glad you feel the same about Chloe being right when she told Lana off. I just _had to add that bit to the story! Well, this should be an enough update for you so far, right? Haha… hope you keep reading Kaleidoscope!_**

**smallvillecsifreak- Hey! Thanks for reviewing my story! Oh well, now you know what happened to Jonathan Kent! Haha… I hope you keep reading!**

**….- Yo! Thanks for reviewing Kaleidoscope. I can't figure out if you're the same dude as '…' but anyway, yea, I wanted a plot in my new Smallville story not just as you put it "endless will-they-get-together-fluff"! Haha… although it was pretty hard to come up with a villain that wasn't already in the Smallville episodes. They haven't screened Season 2 where I am. Such injustice… Hehe… Lana isn't bad. She's horrible! Okay I'm kidding but you see, Lana isn't bad in this story… her help is just taken in the wrong way, that's all! Well, hope you keep reading!  **

**SPECIAL NOTE (IF READ) TO SPUNKYAUTUMN:**

**Hello!!!!! I've been reading your reviews and they're all being replied on the latest chapter, which is chapter 10! So it isn't in any of these chapters yet! You can skip on down to chap 10 to read my replies or just quickly read the story till you get there! Either way, thanks for reviewing and reading!**


	6. Chapter Six

**Kaleidoscope**

_by Lener_

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Smallville. 

**Chapter Six**

        The night was dark by the time Chloe pulled up into the driveway. Clark, sitting in the front seat now, had already filled Pete in on what his mother had told him.

        Chloe marveled at how she'd gotten all of them to Clark's place in one piece. She had to shake off the shivery feeling that crept on sneakily on her so many times that it was hard to concentrate on the road. Of course, Chloe knew what the cause of that feeling was. The tall, muscular and irresistibly handsome young farm boy wearing blue checked flannel sitting next to her in an incredibly squashy car. _Yum, Chloe thought, then mentally scolded herself for going off track._

        They had all arrived anyway, so she could relax.

        "Whoa, Chloe, I've never seen you drive so recklessly," Pete chuckled as he unbuckled his belt, pretending his hands were shaking.

        "Chloe must be eager to do some investigating," Clark shot her a lopsided grin, and her heart flip-flopped. _If you only knew the real reason why I was driving so recklessly… she thought._

        "Yep, that's me! I love to investigate," Chloe said out loud in a perky voice. _I wonder how long I can keep this perkiness going._

        "Okay where do we start?" Pete asked. 

        "I'll check the loft," Chloe said.

        "I'll go do my bedroom," Clark nodded.

        "Okay… I'll snoop around the barn," Pete said.

        "All right, be careful, okay? We could be dealing with some potential dangerous meteor induced freaks around here…" Clark gave Pete and Chloe worried glances.

        "Don't worry Pete's strong and he knows how to fight. I… I can just keep them away verbally…" Chloe joked, trying to lighten the mood.

        The three of them split up, and each went to their own place to search for any clues of who or what might have attacked Clark's father. 

*

        Chloe marched up the wooden stairs, right up to where Clark's telescope was perched. She realized with a bitter smile that its focus was on Lana's house. She felt a sharp tug at her heart, but then forced herself to focus. _Come on, Chloe. Get a grip on yourself, girl. You will not let __Clark__ and his actions get to you. She chided herself under her breath, then focused on the task at hand._

        Looking around at Clark's Fortress of Solitude, Chloe realized that it would be easy to investigate- because there was nothing to investigate at all. The loft looked like how it would look like on any normal day. It did not appear to be ransacked or anything.

        Chloe was puzzled. From what Mrs. Kent had said, it was certain that the attacker had been searching for Clark, or something of Clark's. Why then would the attacker leave the loft out of his search? The loft, Chloe knew, was like a second home to Clark. Some of his most precious things were kept her.

        Just then, Chloe heard a soft sound behind her.

*

        Pete pushed open the door to the barn, wincing as it creaked eerily. He was all tensed up and prepared should the attacker choose to strike at the barn another time. Pete found the switch along the barn wall and as he turned it on, light flooded the whole space, revealing the scene of the "crime" clearly.

        Pete gave a gasp when he saw the huge metal rod lying by a pile of hay. He bent down to look at it, careful not to touch anything. There were streaks of something red, most likely blood, on it. Pete cringed. He hated the sight of blood or anything that would make him squeamish. Not that it was easy to gross him out or anything…

        Not far from where the metal rod lay was more hay, but messy hay. It looked like Jonathan Kent had struggled with his attacker on the floor. 

        Pete's eye caught something in between the pile of hay, and he used the tip of his sneaker to move a clump of hay away. There, in plain sight, was a patch of sticky-looking neon green substance.

        "Whoa… Clark and Chloe better get their butts in here…" Pete muttered, eyes wide.

*

        Clark rushed to his bedroom, and gasped at the sight that met his eyes. It had been ransacked, and horribly too. Every inch of it looked as though a stampede of wild beasts had passed through it. Clothes, books, bags and other knick knacks lay scattered all over the floor. Clark advanced to his shirt drawer to check if his journal was still there, but paused when he suddenly felt his knees give way. A familiar nauseating feeling filled his stomach, making him groan in pain. The source of his discomfort was exactly what Clark imagined it to be… except it was not in solid form.

        A green patch of what could be none other than liquid kryptonite lay smeared on the floor.

        Clark lifted his hand to meet his gaze, and he saw the veins underneath his skin shift and contort painfully. His skin was stretched so tight over his hand it felt as though it was going to burst any minute. 

        _I'll investigate my room later… Clark thought as he summoned all his strength and stumbled out of his room. Immediately the strength came back to him. Just in time, too, because right at that moment there came a piercing scream and a crash. _

        "Chloe!" Clark yelled.

*

        The moment something was clapped over her mouth, a morbid thought entered Chloe's head.

        _The attacker has returned to continue his search._

_        Then suddenly she crashed through the wall of the loft, and an agonizing pain seared through her ankle. Someone was screaming very loudly, and a split second later Chloe realized that she was the one who had been screaming._

        There was nothing beneath her as the cold air rushed to greet her face.

        There was no one below her as she was flung out of the walls of the Fortress of Solitude.

*

        Clark super speeded straight to the loft, just in time to see Chloe get flung out of it, just like how he'd thrown her out in his dream. He saw a sharp pointed piece of plank embed itself into her ankle, leaving a long red gash. And then Chloe fell into his outstretched arms. 

        She smelt faintly of apple and honeysuckle, and for a moment her scent intoxicated Clark. Then suddenly Pete rushed over, snapping him back to reality.

        "Clark! Oh my gosh, Chloe! What happened?" he exclaimed.

        "She fell out of the loft…" Clark said, still a little shocked.

        "Correction… I… got… thrown… out," Chloe said foggily, then her eyes rolled back into her head and she fainted dead away in his arms. 

        "Let's get out of here…" Pete said, glancing back up at the loft. Clark followed his line of vision, then used his X-ray vision to scan the inside of the loft. There was no sign of any living being inside it. The attacker had gone as fast as it had struck.

        "We'd better leave, and soon before it comes back again," Clark said. He shifted his arms so that Chloe's neck would not sag at such an odd angle. Pete looked at his burden and asked, "Can you carry her? I mean, she's not _that light…" _

        Clark smiled. Chloe weighed as light as paper in his arms. Very, very thin paper. "I'm okay," he said.

        "All right. Let's get back to Chloe's car… oh…" Pete's eyes grew wide when he saw the four flat tyres on Chloe's car. "Wha…" he was at a loss for words.

        "I've a feeling those didn't come from all that driving around, Pete," Clark said. He'd spotted the small hole that had been made from what was most likely a pin.

        "Then… what do we do?" Pete was nervous.

        "We walk… to the nearest house. Where would that be?" Clark and Pete stepped out onto the main road. 

        "Erm… Lana's?" Pete suggested.

        Clark shook his head. He'd never thought that he would be so unwilling to step into Lana's house even with a perfectly good reason to. "No… we'll get too much questions…"

        They continued walking until the bright glare of headlights up ahead warned them that a car was approaching. Sure enough, a midnight blue Ferrari with the license plate 'LEX T' pulled to a stop beside Clark and Pete. The window was rolled down, and out popped the bald head of the tycoon Lionel Luthor's son. 

        "Lex!" Clark exclaimed. What was Lex Luthor doing driving around so late in the night?

        "Clark! What are you doing wandering the unsafe streets of Smallville at such a late hour with… oh my goodness… is that a… is she…" Lex trailed off, gaping at Chloe's inert form. His already pale face managed to become whiter.

        "Oh no, Chloe's not dead. She just fainted when she got flung out of the…"

        "Actually, we were looking for a place to go to spend the night and tend to our friend. I'm Peter Ross," Pete quickly said, and Clark was relieved that Pete had stopped his rambling in time.

        "Lex Luthor," Lex stuck out his hand through the window and shook Pete's dark hand, "although you'll probably already know who I am from the impression my father has made."

        "Yea…" Pete shrugged, then took a step back as Lex opened his car door.

        Very soon he had packed Clark and Chloe into the small backseat and Pete up in front.

        "Hang in there, everybody," Lex called as he sped off. 

**Author's Note: Finally Lex makes his appearance in this fic. I doubt he'll play a really big role in it… but anyway, he'll still have to be in it for some stuff. Because what would Smallville be if there were no Lex? Please review and tell me what you thought about this chapter! Special thanks to: **

**(Do read the final note below because there's something important I have to say to all the readers!)**

**Suz- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! If you thought the previous chapter was creepy, this one's probably even creepier, right? Haha! Well, I'll try to update when I can, because writing is slower than reading, you know! I have to take time to write while you people just read! :P Lol…**

**Starburst- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! It's all right if you didn't review the last chapter! As long as you review this one now! Lol… j/k! I doubt there will be any side effects on Jonathan Kent, but if I think of something that might help with the plot, I'll probably add it in the later chapters! Hope you keep reading!**

**Calty- Hey! Thanks for reviewing Kaleidoscope! Haha, yea it's true. First they gotta "solve" the mystery of this blood-sucking dude and then the action and adventure comes next! Okay let's hope this chapter keeps you satisfied for a while! Well, keep reading! **

**brenkding- Huh? Lana disappeared? What are you talking about, dude? Actually, she'll appear in the later chapters. There's just… no need for her to appear in the story right now. But don't worry, I'll write about her, LATER. LOL… **

**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL READERS OF KALEIDOSCOPE: **

**Yo, okay, now that I have your attention with all the bold words, I'd like to say that from now on I will be uploading chapters in the space of a few days (most likely 2 or 3 days) to facilitate my being able to write a chapter. So instead of seeing a new chapter everyday, there will only be a new chapter every 2 or 3 days! Thus I will be able to write chapters faster than you can read them! MUAAAHAHAHAH! **


	7. Chapter Seven

**Kaleidoscope**

_by Lener_

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Smallville. 

**Chapter Seven**

**          Chloe's head was aching and her right ankle throbbing when she finally managed to open her eyes. Suddenly the events of what had happened in the loft raced through her mind, and she bolted up from the couch she had been lying on. The soft blanket that had been placed over her fell from her shoulders, where it had been tucked securely. **

        "Clark… what happened?" Chloe's eyes finally got use to the dark room just as Clark dashed to her side, looking very concerned. Chloe's heart thumped wildly. She was alone with the boy of her dreams in a dark room… _Don't you even dare to think of anything, Chloe Sullivan! Chloe warned herself._

        "Chlo… are you all right? Someone threw you out from the loft and I caught you… oh, you remember that bit? Yea… we met Lex on the way because someone punctured your car tyres and we had to walk. You sprained your ankle when you crashed through the wood but the doctor says you'll be fine," Clark rattled on.

        "I sprained my ankle? Ugh… how weak of me…" Chloe groaned. She shifted a little, and felt a sharp bolt of pain in her ankle. Wincing, Chloe managed to prop herself into a comfortable sitting position.

        "Hey… take it easy. You went right through wood, and even tough girls can get injured. Don't be too hard on yourself…" Clark told her gently.

        "Oh, so I'm a girl to you now, is that right?" Chloe found herself saying, then mentally smacked herself for being so rude. Clark was only trying to comfort her. 

*

        Clark grimaced. Okay, Chloe's last remark had been rather snappy, but he could not help noticing how pretty his best friend looked in the moonlight that shone in through the window pane. 

        The dimness made her face look as though it had been carved out of ivory or made from porcelain. She looked so delicate, weak and fragile. Her soft blond curls were a little tamer now, and strands of it fell into her clear, intelligent hazel green eyes. Her nose was tilted "just so", and her lips looked rosy and glossy and oh-so-kissable.

        Clark gave a start as he realized that he had been leaning in closer and closer towards his best friend. She smelt of fresh green apples and honeysuckle, just like how she'd smelt at the barn, and her soft, hot breath on his skin was electrifying.

        Clark was horrified. This was Chloe, Chloe Sullivan, his best friend. The girl whom he invited over for fashion advice; the Wall of Weird girl he went to answers; the girl whom we went to for comfort and strength; his confidante, his helper, his best friend- everything. And yet she just seemed so far away now. Clark's heart throbbed in his chest, and his head whirled with all these strange thoughts. Then suddenly he felt empty deep, deep down inside.

        He wondered what it would be like to kiss Chloe.

*

        Chloe tried to keep her cool. _He's leaning so close now, she thought. Clark was only inches away, and she wondered if he could hear the wild palpitations of her heart; the rush of blood to her head._

        And suddenly she wanted him to kiss her. She needed to feel his soft lips pressed against hers in a searing, gentle kiss. Of course, that would be terribly impossible. Clark loved Lana.

        Lana. She always ruined everything. Chloe knew it was not her fault, but she would bashed Lana up a long time ago, if it was not for the fact that Lana actually made Clark happy, something Chloe could never do. Sure, she was able to comfort him when he was down about, but to make him fall head over heels in love with her was a feat that only Lana could pull off. 

        _I'm his best friend, but why can't he see me?_

*

        The door burst open, and Clark and Chloe sprang apart guiltily. _Why guiltily, though? We weren't doing anything wrong, Clark thought._

        "Clark! You can get some sleep now- it's my turn to watch over… Chlo! You're awake!" Pete's voice sounded from across the room.

        "Hey Pete. You're late, and I'm starving," Chloe shot Pete a grin that made Clark's heart skip a beat. What was his problem? Only a 1000 watt Lana Smile could have made him feel that way… yet… Chloe had done it without any effort at all. She had done it without meaning to.

        "I'll… get you some fruit," Clark offered, reaching for an apple that lay in the metal bowl near him. Their fingertips touched fleetingly as Chloe took the apple from him, and Clark felt a small electric current jolt through his entire system. Their eyes connected briefly, and Clark wondered if Chloe had felt that sensation too. Well, if she had, she was certainly doing a good job of not showing it.

        Finally Pete broke the silence.

        "Okay, _what is up with you two?" he demanded, hands on hips. Clark almost died. Had it been that obvious?_

        "Did you guys have a fight or something?" Pete questioned. He gazed from Chloe to Clark, then back to Chloe a she began laughing. Eyes twinkling, she laid a hand on Clark's shoulder and Clark had to ignore the wonderful feeling of her hand on his.

        "A fight? As far as I know, Clark and I are on best terms!" she said perkily. Clark relaxed, then smiled. Yep, he and Chloe. Best terms. Best friends.

        _More than that?_

_        Shut up, __Clark__._

*

        "A fight? As far as I know, Clark and I are on best terms!" Chloe forced herself to put her hand on Clark's arm. She just _had to convince Pete that nothing was wrong, and convince herself that Clark had eyes only for Lana and never would like her in that way. She was doing her best to act normal around Pete and Clark._

After a while, Chloe slowly felt the pain in her ankle subside. She got up and tried to hobble about the room with the help of Pete. Clark walked beside her, rotating in ankles proudly in her face whenever he got the chance to. "Chloe Sullivan learns to walk," he teased, and Chloe swatted his arm in mock anger. She cast a sidelong glance at Clark and sighed inwardly.

He would always be Clark, her goofy, cute best friend. That was the way things were, and they were never going to change. 

**Author's Note: Sorry for this particularly short chapter. I wanted to end it on that last sentence because I wanted the ending to be "just so". Heeeheee. Well, don't keep me waiting! Go click that submit review button! More thanks to:**

**Starburst- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! I'm sorry… I'll really try to write quicker, but you see, the inspiration struck me on my other story, and because I was neglecting it I had to write more chapters for it, so I left Kaleidoscope a while. I realized that I kinda wanted more time to write longer chapters for readers, so very, very sorry!!!! And don't die, coz if you do, you won't be able to read!**

**Calty- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you're more than satisfied! I knew Chloe/Clark fans would be really happy with Chloe fainting in his gorgeous muscular arms. Haha! I loved that part too! I'll try to continue with chapters faster, okay? But I _do have other stories to write! Well, hope you keep reading!! _**

**Suz- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Yay! I'm so glad that everyone loved my favourite part, which of course, was when he caught Chloe. *swoons* Lol. Yes, the green stuff was kryptonite. Well, about Pete and Lex knowing each other, Pete knows who Lex is, of course, but I wanted Lex not to know who Pete is, if you get what I mean. Yes, no one knows ****Clark****'s secret. Hope to see another review from you!!**


	8. Chapter Eight

**Kaleidoscope**

_by Lener_

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Smallville. 

**Chapter Eight**

**          Sunlight streamed through the windows of the room, and Chloe opened her eyes. She took in the two sleeping bodies of Clark and Pete; Clark on her left and Pete on her right. All three of them had fallen asleep after their so-called "walking lesson" with Chloe, and now she could see just how tired they both were. **

The thin blanket they had fought over with in the night now covered Pete entirely, and Chloe realized she had been sleeping with only a little of it draped over her legs. Clark slept without any covering, so Chloe hobbled over to where her jacket hung over the couch arm. She tucked the jacket (which only reached to Clark's waist) over him, so that the cold air in the room would not freeze him.

Looking down at Clark, Chloe gave a soft sigh. 

The boy looked absolutely adorable as he slept. His curly dark hair was tousled, and covered his forehead. His eyes were closed, so she could not see the piercing hazel eyes that made her swoon every time they gazed straight into her eyes. His jaw was muscular and his features were chiseled so perfect. Of course, Chloe knew that no one in the world was perfect. Even Clark had some imperfections. He was obsessed with another girl, for example. _That was a big imperfection. She could deal with others, but not that major one._

Just then, the door to the room opened, and Chloe turned around to find Lex standing at the doorway dressed in a woolen green sweater and pressed black dress pants. He looked too well dressed to be staying at home.

"Morning, Ms. Sullivan," Lex greeted her.

"Good morning, Mr. Luthor. You can call me Chloe, because being formal is kind of intimidating. Going somewhere?" Chloe's inquisitive nature took control.

"To breakfast, actually. Would you and your friends care to join me?" Lex motioned to the corridor.

Chloe looked down at the serene Clark and a snoring Pete. "They don't seem to be a state of being able to walk to breakfast, do they?" she gave Lex a grin. He smiled, and Chloe noted how perfectly white and straight his teeth were.

"Then it will just be you and me, Ms…"

"Chloe."

"Yes, Chloe." 

She straightened her velvet lime green turtleneck, brushed her black pants, then followed Lex out of the room and down some quiet corridors into the large dining room.

The dining room had wooden panels for walls, and a long rectangular mahogany table stood at the far end of it. The table was so long it would probably take a day for a dish to be passed from one end to the other. High-backed mahogany chairs lined the dining table, along with a side table and a wine bucket holder at the head of the table.

"Do you always eat alone?" Chloe decided to ask.

"It's a lonely task," Lex said as he led her to the table, "but a Luthor's got it do it."

After a few minutes they were settled at the dining table, Lex sitting opposite Chloe. 

"So, are we supposed to place our orders with the waiter?" Chloe joked, fingering one of the petals of the crimson roses in the slim black vase on the table.  

"No, I've already done that. I hope you don't mind scrambled eggs and bacon. And of course, coffee. You can't do anything without coffee," Lex said, a twinkle in his eye.

"No you can't," Chloe said, nodding her head and smiling. 

The food came a second later, and the aroma of freshly scrambled eggs and fried bacon wafted in the air as the plates were set down in front of both of them.

"So, Ms… I mean, Chloe," Lex hastily changed after Chloe gave him a look, "would you mind telling me what you and your friends were doing at such a late hour last night? And also why you were injured?" 

"Well, you certainly don't waste much time beating around the bush," Chloe said, her voice as cold as ice. Her 'Chloe Defence' was up; a reporter had to guard a story with her life. 

Lex pierced a piece of bacon with his silver fork, then put it in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "It's all right if you don't want to disclose any information regarding that situation, I understand perfectly. It's just that-" 

"My, my. Started eating without us?" a voice at the doorway interrupted Lex. Chloe glanced up and smiled widely. Standing in the doorway were Clark and Pete. Both of them were, like her, wearing what they had worn to school on Friday. Clark was clad in his blue woolen sweater and faded blue jeans while Pete was wearing a forest green T-shirt and navy blue pants.

"Clark! Pete!" Chloe gave an inward sigh of relief as Lex turned around and stood up to 'welcome' Clark and Pete to the dining room. The distraction was temporary, but at least it was a distraction. 

"What's up?" Pete asked as they settled themselves at the table. Pete sat next to Chloe on her right, and Clark sat opposite him on Lex's left. 

"Well, Lex was just asking me what happened last night and what we were doing at such a late hour," Chloe said casually, but she could feel both Clark and Pete tense up.

"Oh, _that…" Pete forced a grin._

"I would rather not talk about that," said Clark, a pained expression on his face, "after all, it was _all your fault, Chloe."_

"Wha… _my fault?? MY fault?" Chloe was left with her mouth wide open. What was Clark talking about? Did it mean that… he hadn't wanted to rescue her? He had wanted to let her die from the impact of the fall? _

"Yea, I mean... if you hadn't… er… taken Clark's wallet and then tripped over the bale of hay while running away from him, all this wouldn't have happened," Pete added, shaking his head at the perplexed Chloe. 

"I…" she was at the lost for words, then suddenly it dawned on her, and she realized that they were trying to cover up the real story. _Trust Pete to come up with something that'll make me sound like a klutz! Chloe shot Pete her Death Glare. __I'll get him for this… next time. _

The sound of Lex laughing jolted her out of angry thoughts of Pete, and she turned to see the 21-year-old young man laughing- no, sniggering at her!

"It's no wonder you didn't want to say anything to me, Ms. Sullivan. I should've known you would want to cover up such a hilarious story as this," he smiled, and Chloe blinked. 

From where he was sitting, Clark gave Chloe a wink, and Pete nudged her gently in the ribs.

Lex Luthor had fallen for their lie.

*

It was not safe for him to appear anymore.

The boy's parents knew about him, and the young girl who had been snooping around in the barn, too. He was certain that the boy knew about him too… somehow there was more than meets the eye about the boy.

He went through his actions, like a videotape on playback.

It had been imperative for him to flee the barn when the boy's mother had burst in on him feeding halfway. He had no time to finish the boy's father and take on the mother. Anyone being fed on still had strength left- the strength of a person only wears out after their blood had been drained.

As for the girl, there was something about her that he disliked immensely. He had felt it when he pushed her out of the loft that night. The feeling that coursed through his fingertips was the same feeling that had coursed through his veins when he had fed on the boy's father. Of course, it would not be lethal to him, but it _did feel uncomfortable._

He knew what the 'feeling' was, of course.

It was love- love for the boy.

Love for Clark Kent. 

*

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

_WHAM!_

The sound of an alarm clock being mutilated finally woke Clark up from his deep sleep. He opened an eye, and was immediately blinded by the strong sunlight pouring into his room. Wait a minute… this was not his room. 

The white door flew open with a loud BANG, and Clark sat up in bed, shocked. A dark figure was outlined against the doorway, hands on hips.

"Clark!" an overly familiar voice shouted out, "how could you?? You killed my alarm clock!!!!"

*

Chloe stomped over to her bedside table and picked up the broken pieces of her funky red alarm clock- or rather, what had been her funky red alarm clock. It was now just a mess of bits of metal and plastic. What had Clark done to it?

"It was only trying to wake you up, Clark, not murder you, you know," for the first time Chloe glanced properly at her friend, and her breath got caught in her throat.

Clark was lying in bed, looking as though a cruise ship had just rammed itself into the room. 

_Oh. My. God. I walked in on Clark Kent._

The full reality of what she'd just done hit Chloe as she looked at Clark's bronze, fully toned body. He was clad only in aquamarine boxers, and his muscular chest (not to forget those tanned abs) glinted in the sunlight. His hair was _so sexily tousled that for a moment Chloe wanted to reach over and run her hand through the messy dark curls._

_Oh no. What the heck am I thinking? This is heaven! NO! Ugh… get out of here NOW, Chloe Sullivan!_

"Um… I'll… err… just… ah…" Chloe forced her legs to step away from her bedside table. Clark smiled weakly at her from where he was. 

"Sorry to… ah… walk in on you like that, Clark," Chloe reached the door and dashed out. Her last thoughts as she closed the door were:

_You think he's ugly. Clark Kent is very, very ugly._

_Oh, he's so gorgeous._

_SHUT UP, CHLOE!!!!!!!!!_

**Author's Note: Hahahahaha! I just HAD to end with such nice.. erm… happenings! Ooohh… delicious! I can just imagine Clark Kent/ Tom Welling in bed looking like that. Okay… they could have me in jail for this… **

**Special thanks to: **

**CLSolo- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! I wanted the kiss to be finished, please don't blame Pete for it. He did not, absolutely did not know!!!! He's really quite a nice guy, Pete is. What's FoTW? This story is entire Chlark, I hope. Ah… don't worry!**

**Suz- Yes, everyone thinks that Clark and Chloe should have kissed. Including me. You're welcome, but you don't have to thank me because it's my job (an obligation, too) to answer any reviewer's questions. Well, keep reading!!**

**…- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you liked this chapter. I wanted the villain to be original, so I had to think a lot… and search through the upcoming episodes to make sure I don't repeat any villain! Well, keep reading!!**

**Starburst- Clana? Chlete? Ew… I'm sorry but this author believes strongly in Chlark only!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!! Well, even thought you like those pairings, I hope you'll still read my story because you've gone so far already, and it wouldn't hurt to read more, right?__**


	9. Chapter Nine

**Kaleidoscope**

_by Lener_

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Smallville. 

**Chapter Nine**

**          Clark watched as Chloe closed the door behind her, then breathed a sigh of relief. Never in his whole life did he ever expect his best friend to walk in on him like that. And the way she'd looked at him… it was as though she… nah. He banished all thoughts of Chloe and swung his legs over the side of her bed.**

        With his father still staying at Smallville Medical Center, Gabe Sullivan had graciously allowed his mother and him to stay at their house. Of course, Chloe's father had forced Chloe into letting Clark sleep in her room. Mr. Sullivan slept in his own room, Clark's mother slept in the guest room, and Chloe slept on the couch in the living room.

        After a while he managed to get out of bed, wash and change into navy pants and a blue flannel shirt. He was most probably late for school (it was a school day after all). Clark picked up his bag (Mr. Sullivan, his mother and him had made a trip back to the Kent farm Estate to pick up their necessities and do a quick check around the farm) and opened the door before heading off to the dining room to check out what food Chloe had in her house.

        Clark found Chloe sitting at the dining table, a mug of steaming cocoa in one hand and a piece of buttered toast in the other. Except for the sound that came from her consuming the food, the whole house was strangely dark and quiet.

        "Whoa… what time is it?" Clark asked, making Chloe look up.

        "6:30," she replied, taking another bite of her toast.

        "What?! Chloe, what time do you set your alarm for? An hour and a half before school starts?" Clark almost shouted incredulously. He'd never woken up this early for school before.

        "Turn down your volume, Kent, your mother is still sleeping and so is my father," Chloe said calmly. She sipped some cocoa, then asked him if he wanted to have breakfast or not.

        "Yea, I guess. But I'll help myself," Clark said meekly.

        "Oh you no won't. You don't know where anything is, and you'll probably mess everything up if you did," Chloe stuck her tongue out at him and got up from her seat. Clark could see her bag resting against the table leg. 

        "Chloe? Do you usually get up this early every day for school?" Clark asked. He was settled opposite her with a mug of cocoa and buttered toast too.

        "Yeah… you see that way I have time for a shower, and breakfast. Plus I can think and get my thoughts organized before I walk to the bus stop with you and Pete and have to listen to your ridiculous banter about girls like L…" Chloe stopped short at the name. 

        "I'm sorry," Clark said.

        "Nah. It's just me being good old "complain about everything" Chloe Sullivan," Chloe grinned and drained the contents of her mug before getting up from the table and setting it down in the sink.

        When her back was turned to him, Clark drained his own mug and finished his toast at super speed, so that when Chloe turned back to look at him, she gave a start. "What did you do with your food- throw it out the window?" she exclaimed.   

        Clark gave a little shrug, then got up from his chair.

        "Let's head off to school now?" he suggested.

        Chloe sighed and picked up her bag, "Gee Clark, if all you wanted was to get to school you could've told me!" 

        Clark gave her a little punch on the arm (not hard enough to send her flying out of the house, though) and Chloe hit him back in good humored retaliation. It did not hurt a bit, though, but that didn't matter. 

*

        Chloe stepped out of the house with Clark, and they both set off for the bus stop, knowing that Pete would eventually meet them on the way out.

        "So, what do you make of everything that happened at your place that night?" Chloe decided to ask Clark. 

        "Well, for one, it's dangerous," Clark said.

        "Well, d'oh! I wouldn't exactly classify a kryptonite freak that throws people out of lofts as not dangerous!" Chloe rolled her eyes.

        "What makes you think this guy's been infected with the meteor rocks?" Clark asked Chloe.

        "Well, I saw smears of green substance that looked like the meteor rock kinda thing in the barn," a familiar voice that came from behind them said. 

        "Pete! You little sneak!" Chloe exclaimed, turning around to see her friend, who had his bag slung over his shoulder, looking expectantly at Clark and Chloe. He took a step forward to stand on her right, so that Chloe was in the middle of the two boys.   

        "What do you mean- smears of that looked like kryptonite?" Clark asked Pete. 

        "Well before Chloe got pushed off the loft and all that I went into the barn, right? And I saw a clump of what looked like some liquid form of those meteor rocks in the bunch of hay. Maybe the creature left it there when he was… you know, attacking your dad," Pete said to Clark.

        "That's funny… I saw the same thing in my room when I went to check it," Clark trailed off.

        "Okay, so this creature leaves a kinda mark wherever he goes? Oh no… wait… it's not intentional. Maybe he's dripping… umm… meteor or something? What if he has meteor _blood?" Chloe's voice dropped to a whisper._

        "But if he had meteor blood and he leaves it everywhere like a slug, then wouldn't you have seen some in the loft?" Pete countered.

        "I didn't see it because he hadn't searched through it yet! I was there when he came back to search the loft," Chloe explained.

        "So if he's dripping blood, maybe he's wounded?" Clark asked, raising his eyebrows in the cute way that Chloe loved. _Ugh… stop thinking about __Clark__. We have a Wall of Weird mystery to solve. _

        "Maybe… that could be it. That's why he's decided to feed on people's blood?" Pete tried.

        "The thing is, why did he search through the farm? If he wanted blood he could have just gone to any person late at night and… suck their blood out," Chloe gave a shiver.

        "Yea… why search through Clark's stuff?" Pete agreed. 

        "Well… maybe he's after you, Clark," Chloe suddenly got concerned. What if Clark's life was in danger?

        "Oh then I better be extra careful," Clark winked.

        "Clark, you're not taking this seriously. I mean, this guy is obviously some vampire gone wrong. You never know what the Wall of Weird can do to some people," Chloe insisted. 

*

Clark relented, remembering how he'd felt in his room when the smear of kryptonite had been there. For once he'd realized how being around Chloe was easier than being with Lana.

        Chloe knew that the meteor rocks had strange and supernatural powers- she believed strongly in her Wall of Weird, and all the other theories she'd made. Clark knew that if there was any person, any _girl he'd divulge his secret to, it would be Chloe, because she would probably be the most receptive to it._

        Clark wondered how open someone would be if they realized they're best friend was an alien who had the strength of ten men, who was able to do everything at super speed, who had the ability to see through anything (or so, Clark thought) et cetera et cetera, other special powers. Perhaps Chloe would freak out. But then again, she _was Chloe, and Clark imagined she would say "See, I told you there was something weird about you, Clark!" _

        With Chloe around, he did not have to worry about avoiding the issue of meteor rocks, and it would not seem weird if they were to discover anything strange that was linked to the meteor rocks. Chloe was perhaps the only person Clark knew who would _jump at the chance to talk about the strange rocks that had such an effect on him. Clark made a mental note to tell his father about the kryptonite in his room so that it could be cleared up._

        Clark thought about this father and whether he would ever get well. If he ever met with that creature, Clark would make it pay for hurting his father. 

        "Clark? What's wrong man? You look like you're in a trance or something," Clark jolted as Pete's dark hand swam in front of his vision. He remembered where he was, and looked at both Pete and Chloe. "Sorry… I was… umm… thinking." They both nodded understandingly. Another good thing about them was that they understood him. They knew him more than anyone else (except his parents, of course) knew him.

The far off rumble in the distance told them that the bus was coming. Clark shifted the weight of his red backpack on his shoulders and watched as the great yellow shape lumbered into view.

It came to a stop in front of them, and Clark stepped aside to let Chloe board first. Pete followed after her, then lastly Clark. They made their way to the back of the bus. 

"Oh man, now _there's a hot chick," Pete whispered to Clark, nodding towards a girl sitting by herself at the back._

Chloe nudged Pete in the ribs, a smile on her face. "Well, go and get her, boy! I'll just sit with Clark and try not to laugh when you fail miserably," she teased. Pete took her word for it and walked towards the girl, so Chloe slid into an empty seat not far from them, and Clark slid in next to her.

As the bus rumbled down the lane, Clark wondered how he was going to worry about the dangerous creature and about his feelings for Lana and Chloe at the same time.

He could not ignore the emotions that were boiling inside of him. 

**Author's Note: Ladies and gentlemen, we finally have it. ****Clark**** knows that some feelings for Chloe and… erm… welling up inside him. Lol… wanna find out what happens in the next chap? Well, keep reviewing and I'll keep writing/ uploading!**

**Suz- Hey, thanks for reviewing! Haha… well the next few chapters won't have so much of the villain in it, but the last few there will be, so I hope you'll keep a look out for it! I'm glad you liked the previous chapter! ****Please, rest assured, I will never lean to Chlex. To do that would ruin my reputation and spoil everything I believe in. *wink* Thanks for telling me what FOTW stands for!!!!! I would have no idea otherwise!**

**Ravengurlie149- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Hmm... what china doll part, though? I don't remember writing anything about a china doll!**

**Starburst- Hey, thanks for reviewing. Nope, as far as I'm concerned I am not insane! I'm glad you'll keep reading this, thought. *sniff* Thanks. I know how it is to read a story with a pairing you strongly dislike.**

**Meg- Huh?**

**caramelmonkeys- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like my story so far! Well, I hope you'll keep reading and reviewing! **

**Calty- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Haha! Yea, the poor alarm clock… *sigh* I'm sorry I had to do that to it! Lol… Yep, personally the walking in on ****Clark**** part was also my favourite. A lot of Clark/Chloe parts are my favourite I guess! Haha! You're hilarious! Okay, I'll keep uploading (like this chapter) and you'll read and review. Deal?  **

**           __**


	10. Chapter Ten

**Kaleidoscope**

_by Lener_

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Smallville. 

**Chapter Ten**

**                   The minute she stepped into Smallville High, Chloe saw Clark's head turn in the direction of a beautiful tinkling laugh. _Lana, she thought miserably. __Clark__'s got it in for that girl. She watched as Clark's head swerved in the direction of that laugh, and as a smile lit up his entire features. Chloe wished that he would smile like that when he saw her, instead of mock-punching her on the arm. Not like she hated that, but- it would be nice to be treated as a girl for once. _**

                "Clark?" Pete called, making Clark whirl around to face them once more. Chloe was glad that Pete had interrupted his 'Lana moment'. She did not want to do it and sound like some jealous freak. Yes, she would admit it; she always got jealous when Clark looked at Lana like that.

                "Oh hey, yea, sorry. Do you mind?" Clark jerked his head in the direction of Lana whom, Chloe noticed, was alone. Alone meaning without Whitney in close range of knocking the teeth out of anyone who tried to insult his girlfriend. _Oohh… feeling bitter so early in the day is not good, Sullivan. _

                "Okay, I know you want to talk to Lana so badly," Pete said, making Clark blush, "but please, let's get this settled. There's a blood-sucking meteor freak out there who wants you real bad. I think we should meet up after school today to discuss this. It's definitely a Wall of Weird mystery."

                "Wow, Pete, you took the words right outta my mouth," Chloe said, and a hurt look came across Clark's features. For a moment Chloe felt bad. For a moment. Then she remembered the countless of times Clark had made _her feel hurt (although he didn't know it), and she knew that this was only the smallest of paybacks._

                "Okay, after school today at the Wall of Weird room," Clark promised, then rushed off towards Lana without (miraculously) tripping. Chloe took Pete by the arm and dragged him into the building, "Come on, Pete, let's go." He let her pull him in. 

The bell rang a few minutes later, but Chloe did not see Clark enter the school doors at all. 

*

The final bell rang, and Clark was one of the first few to burst out of his English class, eager to get out in the hallway.

He spotted Lana's shiny brown head ahead of him, with no other student in between them. He decided to speed up so he could talk to her about… anything. Just then, however, the doors of another classroom opened up, and a flood of students streamed out, blocking his view of Lana. 

_Darn! Clark frowned, and tried to push his way through. When he finally managed to take a step forward, Lana's was nowhere in sight. In his haste to find her he almost tripped over a book, which he picked up and moved to one side of the crowded hallway to get a better look at. The book was a tattered copy of 'Physics Matters', and inside the cover was written the name 'Lana Lang' in perfect cursive._

Just his luck.

He pushed through the throng of Smallville High students with renewed vigour, and made his way to Lana's locker. She was there talking to Whitney, so he stopped just a few feet away and pretended to be leaning against the wall reading. Out of the corner of his eye he saw them kiss and then Whitney jogged away, leaving Lana with her nose in her school bag.

Clark seized his chance and walked over to her.

"Hey, Lana," he smiled. 

She looked up and smiled, the way she always did when he came over to talk to her. For a moment Clark wondered whether he really made her smile of whether she was smiling just to be… polite. He shook the thought out of his head and pulled out her textbook instead.

"I think you dropped this in the hallway," he said.

Lana's eyes lit up at the sight of her book, and she gratefully took it from him. "Trust me to be so clumsy," she shrugged, "and I thought I'd get practice from that."

"Huh?" Clark was puzzled.

"I'm going to help my Nell at her flower shop today carrying those pots around. Lucky me," Lana rolled her eyes playfully. 

Before Clark knew it, he had opened his mouth and said, "Do you want me to help you out?"

Lana slipped her book back into her backpack, silent. She closed her locker, then played with the lock for a little while. The silence was so uncomfortable that Clark decided to take back his offer. No point letting Lana make a fool out of him. Sure, he did like the girl but he _did have his own pride. Wondering where that statement had come from, Clark opened his mouth to say something._

"Sure, Clark," Lana smiled, turning to him.

"Huh?" Clark asked, realizing that that was the second time he had said 'huh' in their conversation. He probably sounded like some idiot.

"I mean, I'd love to accept your offer for help. After all, Whitney has football practice today," Lana said. Clark had to keep from rolling his eyes. Trust her to add Whitney into the conversation any way she could.

"All right then. I'll meet you out front," Clark smiled, feeling very happy. He turned around, and all the happiness drained out of him in a split second. 

Chloe was standing right behind him.

*

_I knew it._

_I knew he would blow off the meeting just like that to help Lana out with… something. I really don't know what they were talking about, all I heard was Lana saying she'd love to accept his offer for help. Ugh… I think I'm gonna be sick._

"Chloe! Hi!" Chloe flinched at Lana's perky voice. _And I thought I was supposed to be the perky one._

"Hey Chlo," Clark said softly. 

"Hello Lana. Hello Clark. Well, I feel I have to explain my intruding presence somehow. Pete sent me here to find out where Clark has been- we arranged to meet after school this morning," Chloe said evenly, watching Clark blush violently. It was so easy to make him blush. All she needed was the right tone of voice and her trademark icy Death Glare. That just about did the trick.

"Oh! Well, I'm sure Clark forgot all about it. If he has an appointment with you guys, I'm sure he…" Lana started to say, but Chloe held up her hand.

"No, I'd understand if he'd much rather help _you," and with that Chloe turned around and stalked down the hallway._

"Chloe!" Clark called after her, but she kept walking.

"Chloe?" Lana echoed.

She kept walking.

*

The minute Chloe kept walking when he called her name, Clark knew that he'd gone too far. He somehow felt guilty about going off and talking to Lana. Why thought? There wasn't anything wrong with that. The minute this thought crossed his mind, Clark knew he was wrong. He had crossed the line between personal gain and friendship. Somehow he was guilty of these things a lot these days.

But somehow the look on Chloe's face had been too much for him.

*

"What?! He blew us off for Lana? Oh man that guy is nuts!" Pete exclaimed once she got back to the Wall of Weird room and filled him in on everything that had happened. Pete sighed, scratched his head, then paced the room. 

"I know he's obsessed with Lana and everything but for my sake, we're his best friends!" he said.

"Your sake?" Chloe raised her eyebrows.

"Pete's sake…" Pete rolled his eyes like it was so obvious.

"That's lame, Pete!"

But they spent a whole minute laughing about it.

Finally after their laughter had worn off, Pete grabbed his backpack and stood up. He gave Chloe a pat on the shoulder and said, "Okay Chlo, let's do this another day when Clark's around. I gotta run, okay?" Chloe sighed, but nodded her head.

"Are you going?" Pete asked.

"Nah… I think I'll stay for a while and do some investigation on my own," she forced a cheerful smile, then pushed Pete out the door, "go! Before your Mom gets mad or something."

"She never gets mad, Sullivan," Pete said, but he went out all the same, leaving Chloe alone in the room. She went over to the Wall of Weird and fingered the articles that she had cut out and pasted there. Somehow the mystery of the meteor rocks had intrigued her so much that she had almost dedicated her life to finding out about them. Someday Chloe hoped to solve the mystery and write an article that would get published in the Daily Planet. Someday. 

She sighed once more, then settled down at the table and began typing away at the computer. Soon, she was lost in the world of web pages, reading up so much articles and text on what could most likely be about the mysterious freak she had encountered.

Suddenly, the creak of the door opening was heard, and Chloe stood up from behind the computer as Clark came into the room. 

"You came…" she said.

"I came…" he smiled. 

**Author's Note: Aww… how sweet. I'm so glad ****Clark**** came. Why did he come? Wasn't he helping Lana carry silly flower pots? Find out what exactly happened in the next chapter!! Please tell me what you think and review first, though, lol!  **

**Suz- Hey!! Thanks for reviewing! Oh yes, *sigh* the Chloe/Clark moments are the best, eh? Hmm… yea, you're pretty right. Lex _is too old for either for them. He's like, 9 years older than them, right? But he would be a good distraction for Lana… so she wouldn't keep clinging to _****Clark****. Hmpf! I thought the alarm clock part was the only humorous part in this story… hahaa! Well, hope you keep reading!**

**margroks- Hello, thanks for reviewing! Yea, I realized the point you made about the kryptonite thingy so, if readers will duly note, I think I have stopped using that term in the later chapters. But please, forgive me. **

**Starburst- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Action will come in the later chapters, my dear.**

**Calty- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! So, you kept the deal… *sneaky laughter* hehehe… Oh man! I _should have thought about getting Lana slimed by that meteor freak and dying but the bad things are: 1. _****Clark**** would have to save her coz he's good. And if Lana died: 2. Every one would flame this story.  Oh well. We can only dream! Yes, I left a bouquet of roses for the deceased alarm clock! Keep reading, and no problem about the double review. I understand computer problems very, very well!**

**Genuine Goofball- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like this story, and yea, I've realized the mistake I've made about 'kryptonite' and 'meteor rocks' so, terribly sorry to everyone. **

**SpunkyAutumn- Hey! Thanks for reviewing. I don't know if you'll see this reply coz you only reviewed chapter 1 and this chapter is like, chapter 10 but anyways, I'm glad you like my story and you know, I _was a kinda neutral couple person like you but then I turned absolutely Chlark… hahahahah and no regrets!! _**

**…- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Well, I guess I forgot about Pete for a while… but I'm quite sad to say in later chapters there won't be any Pete at all. I got too excited with writing about Clark and Chloe. Well, keep reviewing!**

**Nexx- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Lol… I guess you're not a fan of Chlex stuff? Yes, well you review came just in time because there IS some Lana in this chapter! Of course I didn't forget her, and I know a love triangle has to be around three people. Of course, my Smallville stories are only written in the viewpoints of Clark, Chloe and some villains. Well, I hope you keep reading! **

**Brennan- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Yes, lots of people have pointed out the kryptonite fact, that's why I think I have stopped using that word in the chapters. Maybe one day when I'm free I'll edit the previous chapters so there'll be no more kryptonite word. Yes, I felt pretty redundant, typing 'meteor' and 'meteor rocks' all over again. But, I'm glad you liked the story, and sorry to everyone for the mistake.**

**SpunkyAutumn (again)- Hey! I understand your confusion, and I guess most of my readers are from the ****US****? Well, I'm not, and over here they've only shown Season1 of Smallville, thus I had no idea that Chloe and Lana are cousins (DARN!) and about all the other stuff which I probably didn't mention in this fic. I might have gotten lots of facts wrong because in Season 2 things change, right? But please, I've only watched 'Jitters' in Season 1, and I'm just vying off the track of Season 1 to write my own kind of Smallville stories! **

**  
Fatfroggie- Haha! Now I know what you mean by writing 'spasly'. Thanks for the review!**

**           __**


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Kaleidoscope**

_by Lener_

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Smallville. 

**A PREMATURE AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Hello to all readers. I'm uploading this chapter at night (for me) because I always update chapters at night… Okay now I don't know what I'm talking about but anyway, just a little note to say I won't be around to upload any chapters until the 23 of Dec, which means you will have to read this chapter very, very slowly so that it will last you for the few days which I will be away. Well, not to stop you from further reading, do read!! And review! I wanna get at least 65 reviews before I upload the next chapter.**

**Chapter Eleven**

~flashback~

                Lana flashed Clark an apologetic look, even though he knew she had nothing to apologise for. "If you need to go after her, it's all right, you know…" she started, but Clark stuffed his free hand into his pants and cut Lana off, "No, I'm sure Chloe will cool down. Eventually…"

                She looked at him, a little uncertain, but nodded and walked past him out the doors of Smallville High and into the bright sunshine. Clark followed her, but he still could not get the image of how Chloe had looked out of his mind. He knew he was wrong, and that he should go apologise to her… but somehow he could not bring himself to blow off a promise he'd made to Lana, right?

                Lana. He looked at her back as she descended the front steps of the school. Her silky brown hair, that bright smile she reserved for everybody, all the pastel colours (mostly pink) that she wore, her sweetness. What had drawn him to her in the first place?

                Was it her looks? 

                No, he knew it was not Lana's beauty. Many other girls in Smallville High were as pretty as her, including Chloe. _Okay scratch that, next reason…_

_                Was it her… sweetness?_

                No, personally he was not attracted to girls with sweet attitudes. Sure, they were kind and gentle and loving (if you were their boyfriend and sometimes even if you weren't they still were) but somehow it got boring after a while. You could only be one kind of… sweet. But being with someone who had more spunk was more interesting. You never knew what that person was capable of doing, and that intrigued Clark. Someone like… Chloe. _Next!_

_                Was it… Lana's… he'd run out of good things about her._

                And somehow his thoughts kept coming back to his best friend. 

                So what had attracted him to the brunette in the first place? Maybe it was all the attention around her and the fact that it would have been cool to have such a popular girlfriend like Lana Lang. Or maybe it was because he could not have her… that made him want to have her in the first place. Everything seemed so confusing, but he knew only one thing now. He had to get back to Chloe.

                "Lana," he made her stop halfway down the stairs. She turned around to look at him, and suddenly he no longer felt his heart jump just like it did whenever she looked at him.

                _Something was happening…_

"I… I… gotta…" he found it hard to get the words out.

                "I understand, Clark," Lana jerked her head in the direction in which Chloe had walked off, and then gave Clark a sad smile. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, she was gone. Clark did not wait a second later. He whirled around and dashed through the doors of Smallville High.

~end flashback~         

"You came…" 

                He almost laughed at Chloe's shocked face. The room was empty- there was no Pete in sight, but the questions could be asked later. Now he needed to convince her that he was still her best friend.

                "I came," Clark agreed, smiling. But instead of returning his smile, Chloe gave a snort of laughter and clicked the mouse a few times. Clark heard the whirr of the computer, which meant that it was being shut down. Then Chloe gathered her school things and turned back to Clark.

                "You're a little too late, Clark," she said, then brushed past him. Before he knew it, she had swept right out of the room. Clark stared dumbly at the shut door, blinked a few times, then smiled to himself. Chloe had completely forgotten that he was staying at her house for the time being.

                Well, he'd just have to remind her… _at home. _

*

                Chloe stalked out of the Smallville High school doors, feeling the anger seep out of her like sand through open fingers. She wondered why she was feeling so angry at Clark. Usually she would not let little things like these stand in the way of their friendship. But this time Clark had blown off both Pete and her, and it was not the first time he'd done it. 

                So Clark had decided to go hang out with his crush instead of his best friends. She could usually deal with that (after all, Clark always seemed to blow her off) but suddenly she just felt angry and… Chloe did not want to admit it, but she felt jealous too. 

                Chloe realized that she would have to get her feelings for Clark out of the way of their relationship as best friends, because it would get too complicating eventually. Besides, Clark would never fall for her, so what was the use of liking him? 

                It was time for her to set her sights on someone else.

*

                Clark decided against super-speeding back to Chloe's place. Instead, he decided to take a long route back to her house to give her enough time to settle down and probably forget about everything that had happened. But knowing Chloe, the last thing she would have done was forget that he blew off his best friends.

                Finally when Clark reached the Sullivan home, it was about sundown, and he had not yet finished his 'deep thinking'. Nevertheless he pushed open the door to find Mr. Sullivan sitting on a chair in the living room, reading under the lamp light. The rest of the house was dark and quiet.

                "Mr. Sullivan… you're home early," Clark said as Chloe's father glanced up to give him a smile.

                "Plant problems," he said simply, and Clark understood. 

                "Um… where's my mother?" Clark asked.

                "Oh, she went down to Nell Potter's flower shop to help with some kind of big operation of flower pots," Mr. Sullivan said. _How ironic, Clark thought to himself, and Mr. Sullivan laughed, which most probably meant that he had a surprised look on his face. _

                "Is Chloe in her room?" Clark asked.

                "Now's my turn to be surprised, Kent. The minute Chloe came back from school she told me you were outside the door waiting for her and that you two were going back to your place to get some things you forgot to bring to school," Gabe raised his eyebrows.

                "My place?" Clark echoed. 

                "Yeah, didn't you…" 

                Clark did not stop to listen to Chloe's father, though, he was out of the door immediately. A funny feeling was welling up inside his chest… a feeling he got whenever he knew someone was in trouble, or something bad was about to happen. Now he knew that something terrible _would occur, and to Chloe. _

*

                Chloe dumped her bag down by the Kent's mail box, but unzipped it to fish out her camera. She knew that whoever the meteor freak was, he (or she) could still be lurking around. Chloe deduced that some sort of blood transfusion had been conducted on this freak, and the blood had most probably been contaminated with the meteor rocks. How it had happened she had no idea, but somehow some liquid form of the rocks must have been in his blood. That made this creature lust for human blood, which was not resistant to the meteor rocks.

                She grabbed a long stick that lay on the ground, just in case. Chloe knew she had to be extra alert so that she could catch a picture of this villain and also stay away from it so that she would not get her blood sucked out. Then perhaps she could write the perfect article for The Torch…

                A slight rustle in the bushes attracted her attention, and she perked her ears up for any other unusual sound. The bush that had quaked a second ago stood still, but she stepped slowly towards it, holding the stick in front of her in a defensive position.

                _On the count of three, Sullivan…_

_                One…_

_                Two…_

_                THREE!_

_                Chloe sprang forward and thrust her stick into the bush, only to come into contact with some branches and leaves. She quickly and hastily withdrew the stick, then made her into the driveway of the Kent Farm Estate. _

*

                At long last Clark finally made it to the cornfield. From there he could super-speed back to his house without anyone noticing… he hoped. Anyway, it was too late for regrets now. He had gone this far and he would not stop, because his best friend's life was in danger and he was, perhaps, the only one who could save her.

                The cold night wind rushed against his face, cooling his limbs and making his flannel shirt whip in the wind. Clark hardly registered this, though. The only thought on his mind was of getting to Chloe before the meteor freak got to her.

                Clark knew that he was probably the only one who could take on this meteor freak, but personally he was worried about the effects that the meteor would have on him. Whatever it was, he knew it would not be too good. 

*

                Chloe spotted her car up in the driveway of Clark's house. On the previous visit to the Kent Farm Estate, they'd forgotten to call a tow truck to tow it to the repair shop so Chloe could get the tyres fixed, and now her car was still parked there.

                Chloe bent down to examine the punctured tyres. It looked as though someone had used a sharp point of an object to pierce the thick rubber, and all the air had gone out. She spotted some of the same green marks that Pete and Clark had described, and she knew that the meteor freak must have done this nasty deed. 

                There was a faint musky smell lingering in the air, and suddenly the sound of the barn doors creaking open got her attention.

                The meteor freak was here.

**Author's Note: Ahh! The meteor freak! Yea, yea, all right, I'm only pretending to be scared of this FOTW. (Yay, now I know what it stands for) Well, this story's almost ending! Tell me what you think in a review! Please? Replies are below!**

**Suz- Hey! Thanks for reviewing and leaving such a nice long one! Haha! I made it just like that, because it would be too unrealistic if ****Clark**** didn't still thought he felt that attraction between him and Lana. Hmm… yea I could try to write about that in one of my next stories (Lana liking Lex) but you see, I'd probably puke if I wrote that name too much. Sigh… in S2, do Clark and Chloe get together? Phew! I'm so glad they aren't cousins! Yea, Lana moved in with Chloe, right? ARGH! Why did Chloe let that happen?? Haha! Well, tell me! And thanks again! Keep reading! **

**Starburst- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you think Chloe's good now. Okay, the action stuff will come! Next chapter! I hope you'll keep reading!**

**…- I know now that you like Pete Ross. *shudders* No offence or anything. Haha! Yes, the villain's tied in with the kryptonite oops… correction, meteor rocks like that. YAY! Please, Chlark is very good. Okay, I'll make Lana not so clueless. But she's still… icky.**

**SpunkyAutumn- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! You left a lot of reviews! Lol! Well, there's nothing really special about writing what both people think in the same situation… I bet lots of other writers do that! I just wanted my readers to know how Clark and Chloe were feeling then! I'm glad you like it. Nope, I don't live in ****Canada****. Actually, I don't live in any of the Western countries. I live in ****Singapore****. I'm not sure if you know where it is… most people in the West don't. They're still showing Season 1 here, but they've stopped for the moment, which is sucky. The episode I've seen up to is Jitters. That makes it the 6th or 7th? **

**Nexx- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you liked chap 1 and its ending. Well, you always seem to be getting what you want in reviews, huh? First you wanted more Lana, and you did get it! And now you wanted more of the meteor villain and here he is! Well, some of him…. The next few chapters will have more because it'll be the spectacular showdown! I hope you were satisfied with this chapter!**

**Calty- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! I've been wondering where you were! I think the part about Pete's sake also cracked me up… But what cracked me up most was your review! Especially about the Lana part! Haha… boy would I love to dunk her in the tank filled with mud!!! But first I'd pull her stupid long hair. Muaahahaha. Oops… *runs away before Lana fans run after her with sticks* Keep reading!!! **

**                    __**


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Kaleidoscope**

_by Lener_

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Smallville. 

**Chapter Twelve**

**                   The ivory moon hung high in the night sky as Chloe made her way to the barn. No doubt there was something there, or perhaps the meteor freak had entered it. Chloe had a hunch it was after Clark's blood or something scary like that which only happened in movies. But why would it want Clark? Did that meant there was something special about her best friend?**

                She crept towards the large building, feeling just a tiny bit frightened. The moon threw light sufficient enough to only illuminate the barn, so she could not see anything in the shadows surrounding her. Of course that meant that if the meteor freak was not in the barn, he could be hiding behind her or somewhere to her left (or right, even), waiting to spring out and… 

                _Don't think about it, Sullivan._

_                So she did not._

 **                  But now she wondered again why she had chosen to go back to the Kent Farm Estate alone and at night. It was like an open invitation to death. Then she remembered; to single-handedly capture the meteor freak, take a picture of it and hopefully apprehend him and bring him to the police, then write the best article ever about this incident. Some dream it was. **

                She stopped long enough to press the 'light' button on her sports watch. The watch face glowed a bright indigo, and Chloe could see that it was almost 8:10pm. A chill wind swept through the premises, chilling her to the bone. Chloe wrapped her vintage coat with fake fur collar tightly around herself. 

                She saw that the barn door was slightly ajar, and inside the barn was dark, the lights having not been switched on. Chloe wondered what this creature was doing in the barn at such a late hour. Then a thought suddenly struck her… _Perhaps he was waiting for her. Nah… it could not be such a coincidence. She gripped her stick tighter, took a deep breath and pushed open the barn door. _

*

                He had smelt the scent of fresh blood outside the barn door, but he knew it was not Clark Kent standing outside it. He would know when the boy was near- the smell of his blood would give strength to him immediately, and the taste of his blood with give him eternal invincibility. The man wondered how such an _ordinary boy could possess such… powerful blood. For a moment he wondered if Clark Kent was more than met the eyes. But then he vanquished that thought- Clark Kent was just a normal farm boy with extra powerful blood. Nothing else._

                Just then, the door creaked open, and the man sprang quickly back into the shadows, out of the line of moonlight that had shot into the barn when the door had been opened. Etched against the night sky was a figure- not a male figure, but a female figure. He knew then that it was the boy's friend. His girlfriend, most probably, the one who had been sneaking around in the loft a few days ago. 

                Well, it could do no harm to have a little feeding before he finally feasted on the boy…

                The man watched as the girl slowly reached for the light switch. She was cleverer than the rest, he thought. She probably knew that a creature who dwelt in the dark could not stand light, especially the bright lights in a barn. He had to distract her, and fast. He slowly bent down to the hay, and fished around until his clammy cold hands closed upon a warm pebble. Careful to still stay in the shadows, he raised his hand and lightly threw the rock across the barn, where it hit something metal. There was a loud clanging, and the girl's head snapped up to the place where the sound had come from. 

                Her hand snatched away from the light switch as it gripped something the man had not made out before she'd come in. It was a large stick she was holding, and he knew that she had come prepared. Prepared to meet him, but obviously not prepared for the sight she was going to see, or what was going to happen to her. 

                He watched as she advanced to where the sound was, giving him the time and space to steal quickly (in the shadows) to the barn door, which he creakily shut. Hearing the noise, the girl whirled around to find herself in complete blackness. He knew that human eyes were not meant to see in the dark, but his eyes were, and he would use that to great advantage. 

                He could see her clearly now, a pretty blond girl, not too tall and not too short, with a slim figure and dark, suspicious eyes. She caught sight of him, even in the dark, and stifled a gasp. He grinned, letting her see his sharp fangs, just like in those old vampire movies. Of course, he was not a vampire. He was something more than that. More powerful. 

                "W… who… are you?" the girl asked, holding her stick out like a sword. He stayed where he was, still smiling. 

                "Never mind that," he decided to say, "you won't live to tell anyone about this encounter." 

                The girl backed a step away, and he took a step forward to make up for the distance lost. "You're a vampire, aren't you?" her voice quivered slightly as she gazed at him, not liking what she saw. He couldn't blame her for that- after all the years not exposed to sunlight his skin was become paper thin and a little mottled grey but completely white so that in the darkness he shone a little. But the recently founded ability to suck the blood, the life essence from people had stained his lips a permanent red.

                "Not so, my dear," he said, "I can't stand bright light, but I'm stronger, more powerful than a vampire." He wanted to let her live a moment longer- it was a long time since he had a conversation with anyone, and this girl was intelligent, he could see the gleam in her eyes which meant that she was trying to stall time so that she could think of a plan. He chuckled, knowing that she would not succeed. 

                "Bright light, huh?" she said, fingering something that hung along her neck. He cursed himself mentally, but before he could take a step forward to kill, she raised a black object in front of her eyes and he heard something snap. "Say cheese," the girl said before light engulfed his vision, making him scream in agony. He fell on his knees, and felt something hard- the stick, most probably- come into contact with his fangs. She knew where to strike him. Then he heard the thump of footsteps past him- she was escaping!

                With a leap, not caring about the stinging pain, he whirled around and grabbed her leg, bringing her to the ground. She screamed as something smashed- the camera, he know realized. He watched in triumph as the stick flew out of her grasp and rolled into the dark shadows. She had only been inches away from the door, but now she was vulnerable. 

*

                Clark reached his house, only to find Chloe's backpack lying by the mail box. A second later he heard a yell of agony from the barn, and someone screaming. He recognized that scream- it was Chloe! Heart thumping, he super-speeded to the barn. 

*

                Chloe screamed as something cold grabbed her leg, bringing her down to the ground. The stick flew out of her grasp and rolled into a corner of the barn. She could never reach it in time. Her camera smashed to bits as it hid the ground too, and bits of the lens cut into her cheeks, drawing blood. Blood…

                She remembered the meteor freak, scrambled to her scratched knees only to back up against a machine of some sort. A soft chuckling forced her to look ahead, and in the darkness she could make out the glowing figure of the man.

                He was glowing a sickly green, and advancing towards her with bloodied fangs.

                She was doomed. 

**Author's Note: Yo everyone! I'm SO back!!!! Sorry to keep you all waiting for this chapter but I guess this pays off in the end? Well, I'm totally happy that I got over 65 reviews… so this sort of got me happy from my other story, which isn't doing too well. Sigh… oh well, I read this chapter and… *screams* AAAAHHH! Scary? Not scary? Haha… what do you think? I wanted to end the story at this chapter, but I realized I had more to write, so I'll end it on the next chapter! Unlucky number (13) but never mind… Please review and tell me what you think! Replies are below!**

**…- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Okay I get what you mean. When writing in a TV show category, or a category which already has fixed existing characters, I prefer to include as much of them as I possibly can. (But of course I don't write a lot about those I don't like *cough* Lana *cough*) Well, I hope you like this chapter as well!**

**Starburst- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Well, you can stop waiting and read on from the big cliffhanger! Haha!**

**Calty- Yo! Thanks for the review! Yes, Chloe likes to investigate and stuff… so usually she gets herself into trouble. But ****Clark**** will always be there to save the day and her (I'll make sure of that *wink*). Wow! When you become a game producer or whatever you call those people, be sure to send me all your Smallville games! Lol!**

**SpunkyAutumn- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Great that you know where my little island is! Smallville is at 11:pm on Wednesday nights, just after Charmed. Usually I have to sweet talk my mother into letting me stay in her room and watch it, coz it ends at ****12 midnight****- really late. But most of the time she gets hooked on it… hahahahahaha**

**Suz- YEA! Thanks for submitting Review #65! Here's the next chapter! Haha… the next time ****Clark**** gets with Lana, we'll both wap him with meteors!!! Whee!! Oh man… this is bad… I'm actually enjoying whacking ****Clark****! Noooo!! *gag* I don't think it was very Chloe-ish of Chloe to make that move of letting Lana *puke* be her room mate. Sigh…**

**Nexx- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Actually, you made Review #66! Yes, I guess the flashback was unexpected but after that I continued from where the previous chapter ended. Oh well, I hope you understood that part, at least. Yes, I know. I mean, that part about Chloe setting her sights on another guy was just for drama. Lol!**

**Anonymous- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! You didn't identify yourself so I don't know who you are. Well, here's the next chapter and I hope you like it!**

**JennerBee- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! I'm very glad that ****Clark**** left Lana! Lol… Are you out of your mind? (No offence) There are plenty of Clark and Chloe stories out there! Hmm… you'll have to search. I've read some good ones, but I forgot them. Well, why don't you check out the reviewers of this story? They probably write ****Clark**** and Chloe Smallville fics too! **

**                    __**


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Kaleidoscope**

_by Lener_

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Smallville. 

**Chapter Thirteen**

**                   "Any last wishes?" he said nastily, walking towards her. Chloe tried to kick out with her legs, but he'd anticipated this movement, and quickly caught both her legs with one hand. She struggled angrily, but he twisted them and kept twisting until, so tired of fighting back, she stopped. **

                A second later he swooped down in a whirl of white and black, and she had no more strength left to fend him off. She felt a sharp pain at the side of her neck. _This is it… she thought, and her vision swam around blurrily. _

                Suddenly, the door burst open, and someone stepped into the barn. Chloe struggled to open her eyes- everything was getting so foggy and deep inside her she felt such pain- to see who it was. The familiar muscular figure of someone etched out against the night sky… the large mop of hair… Clark! It was Clark! But what was he doing here? 

                She felt the man get up, stop feeding on her. She could still feel the pain, but it was not growing- it was diminishing. Slowly. "C… Clark!" Chloe managed to call out. Then she slumped over to her side, half conscious, to let the pain subside. 

*

                Clark saw the dim outline of Chloe fall to the ground. He wished he could run to her to find out how she was- whether she was alive or not, but something had flung himself at him and was tackling him to the ground. Clark caught a glimpse of white skin and bloodied fangs before he plucked the creature off of him and flung him against the wall of the barn.

                Then Clark ran to Chloe and placed both hands on her thin shoulders, bringing her into a sitting position, her back propped up against some machinery. He saw that she had scratches on her face, and her clothes were askew. He caught sight of the two red holes on her neck where she had lost a little blood.

                "Chloe? Chlo! Are you okay? Speak to me! Come on!" he shook her gently, and breathed a sigh of relief when her eyes opened. He was suddenly staring into the wide expanse of her dark green eyes and he felt…

                "C… Clar… Clark…" She was struggling to speak, and he could see her looking right past him. Something was wrong. Was she going to die? How could he save her? Would this be like his dream?

                "Be… Behind… y… you…" she said.

                And then Clark felt it.

                The familiar nauseating feeling swept across him. He felt his stomach boil over with pain, and quickly released his grip on Chloe to look at the back of his palm. Sure enough, the veins underneath his skin were shifting, and he felt weak- so weak…

                WHAM! 

                Something slammed at him from behind, and he felt hard wood come into contact with the back of his head. Fireworks exploded across his vision as he slumped down beside Chloe. He heard her scream, but try as he might, he could not get up. 

*

                Such a normal, ordinary boy. The man looked down at Clark Kent, and strength flowed through his being. There was something in his blood, something that he needed, wanted, now. The barn door was open, he was a little weak because of the moonlight, but that would be gone once he had the boy's blood inside him. 

                "Time for the feast…" he murmured, smiling to reveal his bloodied fangs. They were the last time he was going to be using them. Once he had fed on the boy's blood, he would be a normal, ordinary man. Possessing, of course, more strength than the average man had. That was the perks of being infected by those meteors.

                But there was no more time for thinking now. He had to kill, and kill fast. 

                He swooped down onto the boy, who struggled very much. He was glowing green now, and the green reflected on the boy's face, making the boy look so very sick. Then he punctured through the boy's skin and began to suck. The first pulse of blood filled him, and he knew that he was being strengthened. Something deep, deep inside of him began to feel uncomfortable, though, but the lust for power and strength beyond imagination drove him almost crazy. He fed on the boy.

                But he'd forgotten one thing. The other prisoner. The girl.

*

                Chloe felt the pain subside entirely, and she struggled to her feet, hoping that the man would not see her. He was feeding like crazy on Clark, and it was sickening to see how much he was enjoying her best friend's blood. Chloe scrambled to her feet and her hands found her broken camera. Part of the lens had broken off, but the jagged edge of the other part was still attached to the broken camera. 

                She had to do it- it was now or never.

                With an angry cry, Chloe slammed the camera down on the man's head, over and over again until he slumped over Clark. She threw her camera to the side, and gave the man a kick. He rolled over onto the hay strewn floor, blood covering his entire face. 

                Then Chloe reached for Clark's arms and began to drag him out of the open barn door. He was very heavy, but at long last she managed to get him out of the barn, away from the meteor freak. But she did not know how long the man would stay that way. 

                "Clark? Clark! Wake up, answer me!" Chloe knelt down beside her best friend. She mopped the sweat from his warm forehead, and stared in fright at his closed eyes. Then, suddenly, they were open, and Clark was sitting up, looking fully rejuvenated. 

*

                The moment he was away from the barn, away from the meteors, Clark knew that he would be okay. He lay there for a moment, pretending to be grievously injured, and then he heard Chloe's voice call to him frightfully. He felt her gentle fingertips at his forehead. He sat up, and she looked pretty shocked.

                "I'm all right," he said, and she hugged him with such ferocity that he almost laughed.

                "I slammed the camera on his head, Clark. I don't know how long he'll last…" Chloe said, glancing at the barn door. But Clark was not worried anymore. He was beginning to understand what was going on. If the meteor freak had been infected with the meteors, and he had sucked out an amount of Clark's blood, he was doomed. Clark was positive that the man knew nothing of Clark's "allergy" to the meteors, so Clark's blood, resistant to the meteors, would be able to counteract the man's blood.

                "He's coming!" beside him, Chloe whispered in panic, and Clark stood up, pulling her to her feet. Both of them watched as the man hobbled out of the barn. He was no longer glowing green, in fact. Blood was pouring down from his head and mouth, and he staggered towards them, pointing a finger at Clark.

                "Y… you… what… have… you… done!" he yelled.

                Clark smiled grimly. His blood was taking a toll on the man. But the fight was not over yet.

*

                He staggered out of the barn, feeling everything inside of him fail miserably. He knew then that the boy's blood had done something to him. The boy was different. He was highly resistant to the metoers. Clark Kent's blood had reduced him from a man who welcomed anything meteorite to a man who was now seriously allergic to it. 

                He was seeing Red.

                Clark Kent would pay for what he had done.

                He would take him to the grave.

*

                "Clark, watch out!" Chloe exclaimed as the man suddenly ran to Clark. But before he could even reach her friend, Clark sent him flying into a nearby tree with an amazing punch. The man's body hit the tree, and a green light burst all around them. A second later Clark whammed into her, landing both of them on the grass.

                Chloe closed her eyes and felt a wave of warmth pass over them. Then… the man was gone. Traces of what had happened were still around, but the meteor freak had disappeared completely.

                "You did it…" Chloe said softly to Clark. They were in a tangle of arms and legs, and suddenly his face was very close to hers. 

_I don't care… I'm going to kiss him._

*

                _I don't care. I'm going to kiss her._

_                I think I'm… falling in love with her._

                Without warning Clark placed his hands on Chloe's shoulders and pulled her towards him, their lips meeting in a gentle, searing kiss. Chloe's lips were soft and warm, and they tasted of sugared roses. He couldn't believe how long he'd taken to realize how beautiful she was. Chloe responded, kissing him back strongly. Then she pulled away, and he could see her eyes twinkling.

                "Where did _that come from, Mr. Kent?" she asked playfully._

                "Some place called the heart," Clark replied.

                They kissed again.

**~THE END~**

**Author's Note: Yay! Kaleidoscope is done! Once again thanks to all who reviewed this story! I'm planning on uploading another Smallville fic (Chlark, of course) and if I do, it'll be uploaded tomorrow night, so please look out for it and review!!!!!!!! Thanks!!!!!!!!**

**…- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Lol… I wrote from the villain's point of view too so readers can understand… like… his perceptive of things. I'm hoping it worked. Was this ending happy enough for you? Well, I hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to go read my new Smallville fic which I uploaded tonight as well! It's called Elixir!!**

**Starburst- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Yes… this story has ended. Boohoo… isn't it sad? I don't think so, because when one Smallville fic ends, there's always another one! Well, I hope you liked this last chapter and don't forget to go read my new Smallville fic! It's called Elixir and it's up now too!**

**Suz- Hey Suz! Thanks for the review! Yes! I totally agree with you on Chloe fighting back! That's exactly how I would imagine her to be too! And I always agree with you on the Lana bit! She'll probably freak out and yell for Whitney or Clark, that (censored). Haha! Is that what you call him? Clarkiepoo? HAHAH! ARGH! ****Clark**** did WHAT? He told Lana she would stay at his farm! STUPID ****Clark****!!!!!!! **

**Well, hope you liked this chapter and don't forget to read Elixir, my new Smallville fic! It's up already!**

**Calty- Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Don't worry… Chloe wasn't knocked unconscious, right? And yea, I wrote from the villains point of view so there would be a different perspective of things. Haha! I think your Smallville computer games are great! Do think of some more! And you can tell me all about them in my next Smallville fic, Elixir! It's already uploaded!!!! **


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